Board Supports 128th Air Wing’s Bid for New Plane

A Boeing KC-46A Pegasus. U.S. Air Force photo by Yasuo Osakabe.

The KC-46A Pegasus is a fixed-wing, multi-mission, air refueling aircraft manufactured by the Boeing Company. The plane is 159 feet long and has a wingspan of 156 feet. It carries 212,299 pounds of fuel.

And the Milwaukee County Board would like a few of them in Milwaukee.

To that end, a majority of the board has signed onto a resolution expressing support for the 128th Air Refueling Wing’s bid to acquire the plane. The wing is located on the eastern end of the Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport campus.

In April, the 128th officially launched a campaign to acquire the new KC-46A’s from the U.S. Department of Defense. It’s one of 15 military installations around the U.S. currently under consideration for the planes. The wing provides 1,650 jobs in the Milwaukee area and produces an estimated $84 million economic impact for the region, according to the 128th ARW Community Council, a private organization that champions the wing locally.

The plane has been in development for more than a decade, and the Air Force calls it “the beginning of a new era in air-to-air refueling capability for the joint force.”

The board is throwing its support behind the wing’s bid for the planes because of the jobs it provides to county residents.

“The 128th refueling wing is a vital part of Mitchell Airport, and the economy of Milwaukee County,” Sup. Jack Eckblad, who represents the area on the board, told Urban Milwaukee. “I am grateful that so far 14 of my colleagues have become co-sponsors for this resolution, recognizing how important it is.”

Bringing the KC-46A Pegasus would “sustain the 128th’s mission in Southeastern Wisconsin for years to come,” Ret. Col. Tom Metzgar wrote in an Op-Ed for the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Metzgar is a former commander of the 128th. The wing currently operates 10 KC-135 Stratotankers, which the Pegasus is expected to improve upon, he wrote.

The county board isn’t the first local legislative body to consider a resolution in support of the effort. Several local municipalities have approved similar resolutions.

Beyond the economic impact, as Eckblad’s resolution notes, the wing supports a variety of missions of direct concern to civilians.

“The 128th Air Refueling Wing plays a critical role in supporting domestic operations and bolstering local response to emergencies such as natural disaster response, emergency medical services, and fire rescue response which protect Milwaukee County residents,” the resolution notes.

The board will consider and likely vote on the resolution during its July cycle.