FARGO (KFGO-AM) - U.S. Senator John Hoeven says the campaign to secure a tanker mission at the Grand Forks Air Force Base continues, and he says the Air National Guard base in Fargo will be an integral part of the effort to bring a new fleet of KC-46 flying tankers to North Dakota. He says only bases with an air guard affiliation will be considered. He says that's how the military "rolls now."
Hoeven says there's lots of competition with other air bases to get the tanker missions once the planes are delivered by Boeing, the manufacturer. That is expected to be in late 2016 or 2017.
The new KC-46 tankers will replace the aging fleet of KC-135 tankers. Grand Forks was home to the older tankers for 50 years before that mission ended in 2010. The base now hosts the Global Hawk U-A-V.