Thursday, 4:30 PM
Westover wins in Air Force base consolidation
By Bryan Bender
GLOBE STAFF
WASHINGTON — The US Air Force announced Wednesday it is expanding the mission of Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee, a move that elected officials expect will add 80 jobs to the team of 150 maintenance specialists who repair large transport aircraft at the base.
The Air Force, following last year’s base closures, decided to consolidate the number of facilities that inspect its C-5 Galaxy aircraft from eight to three — one active-duty, one Reserve, and one National Guard.
After a detailed analysis, Westover was chosen as the Air Force Reserve base to oversee the C-5 repair work, in large part because of its relative proximity to overseas military missions in Europe and the Middle East, according to the Air Force.
‘‘Westover has an excellent reputation in the Air Force for C-5 maintenance expertise,’’ the service said in a fact sheet provided to reporters Wednesday. ‘‘This was most recently evident during the build-up of forces for Operation Iraqi Freedom.’’
Like Otis Air Guard Base on Cape Cod, Westover survived the 2005 round of base closures and was angling for a larger role as the Air Force closed other facilities across the nation.
The decision to increase Westover’s workload drew praise from members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation.
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, who met as recently as this month with Gen. Duncan McNabb, commander of the Air Force’s Air Mobility Command, called the announcement ‘‘a tribute to the high caliber work done by the dedicated men and women on the base. It is also a recognition of the strategic value of Westover’s location as the closest airlift base in the US to get needed supplies to our men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan.’’
The Air Force currently has 111 of the lumbering C-5 jets in its fleet, 16 of them assigned to Westover. With the new expansion, set to begin next year, as many as 40 C-5s will pass through Westover each year for a ‘‘nose to tail, wingtip to wingtip’’ maintenance inspection, the service said. The Air Force will decide next year how many additional positions will be needed at Westover.
The C-5 , which first flew in 1968, is one of the largest planes in the world. The cargo bay is long enough, at nearly 144 feet, that The Wright Brothers could have made their first flight of 120 feet within the belly of the plane. It has been a workhorse for US military operations around the globe.
A single C-5 can ferry six Apache attack helicopters, or two M1 Abrams tanks, or a quarter of a million pounds of relief supplies — nonstop — for 2,500 miles, according to its manufacturer, Lockheed Martin. With mid-air refueling its range is nearly unlimited.
‘‘The 439th Airlift Wing at Westover plays a critical role in the global movement of US troops, equipment and supplies,’’ said Rep. Richard Neal, Democrat of Springfield, whose district includes Chicopee. ‘‘Today’s announcement by the Air Force will bring more work and new jobs to Westover. It’s great news for both the base and western Massachusetts.’’
