KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (September 27, 2024) – Today, the Air Force informed members of the Tennessee delegation that McGhee-Tyson Air National Guard Base advanced in the basing decision for the new KC-46 tanker. The list of possible bases was cut from 15 to 7.
“The men and women in the 134th Air Refueling Wing do amazing work in service to this country, and having these tankers would help them do even more,” said Rep. Burchett. “I’ve advocated for this, and I’ll keep pushing for the Air Force to make the right decision to bring these tankers here to East Tennessee.”
Earlier this year, Rep. Burchett joined a letter from the entire Tennessee delegation to the Secretary of the Air Force advocating to bring the KC-46 tankers to McGhee Tyson.
McGhee Tyson made significant improvements in anticipation of potentially hosting the KC-46, including a $134 million newly constructed 10,000ft runway and completed a $32.4 million maintenance hangar that will house a KC-46. The 134th Air Refueling Wing also published a KC-46 conversion study in 2022 that highlighted the benefits of placing the tankers at McGhee Tyson.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://burchett.house.gov/media/press-releases/mcghee-tyson-airport-advanced-basing-decision-kc-46-tanker