Congressman Jim Saxton (R-N.J.) says the Air Force has awarded a contract worth $14 million to a New Jersey company to construct a practice airstrip for the new C-17 force at McGuire AFB, N.J. Saxton noted in a statement that this was the “final planned project of making McGuire AFB a modern C-17 base.” The Air Force plans to install the 3,500-feet by 90-feet runway parallel to an existing runway on the Lakehurst Navy portion of the megabase complex and expects it to be completed by next spring.
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
