Giant Tankers Arrive at RAF Fairford (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Giant Tankers Arrive at RAF Fairford

RECONSTRUCTION work at their Suffolk airbase has led to the relocation of a fleet of US Air Force tankers and hundreds of personnel to RAF Fairford.

In the past few days 14 KC-135 Stratotankers from the 100 Air Refuelling Wing (ARW) have been moved to the Cotswolds from RAF Mildenhall - where the runway is to be re-laid.

The £9 million reconstruction will start on Monday and should be completed by August 31.

Over the next six months a total of 620 USAF personnel will be billeted at RAF Fairford.

Colonel Bryan Benson, operations group commander for the 100th Air Refuelling Wing, said: "It's the product of 18 months preparation.

The hard part of that is to do it without stopping your normal daily operations," he said.

Because RAF Fairford is not a permanent base for planes, there are no other aircraft currently based there and the arrival of the Stratotankers will not interrupt any operations.

Col Benson said: "They RAF Fairford are designed to set up and host other units like ourselves. They provide the infrastructure and we bring our own kit.

"Our operations here will be on the same pace that they are at Mildenhall, roughly five to nine aircraft sorties a day."

The noise generated by the tankers will be minimal, added Col Benson: "We expect there will be very little impact on the community."

A meeting was held last week between ARW personnel, including, Col Benson and representatives from surrounding town and parish councils, including Fairford, Lechlade and Kempsford.

One of the representatives, Fairford town councillor Howard Dowler said: "There were absolutely no concerns over anything. We welcome them with open arms and hope they enjoy their period here."

The boost to the local economy would also be welcomed, he added.

The unit is the only USAF air refuelling force in Europe and covers an area ranging from the northern tip of Norway to southern Africa and into Russia, encompassing 20million square miles and 93 countries.

The unit is not currently waiting to fly to any war zone, but if necessary is ready to answer the call, said Col Benson.

The tankers, which carry 200,000 pounds of fuel, reach speeds of 530mph, can fly at 50,000ft and have a range of 1,500 miles, were also used in the recent humanitarian mission after December's earthquake in Bam, Iran, which killed more than 30,000 people.