The US Air Force has proposed Beale Air Force Base in California as the preferred alternative basing option for the MC-12W aircraft.
Beale Air Force Base has been selected for its access to training opportunities, synergy with existing intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance flying missions and collocation with the distributed ground station mission.
The final basing decision will be taken after evaluation of the environmental impact analysis process.
A medium to low-altitude twin-engine turboprop aircraft, the MC-12Ws primary mission is to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support directly to ground forces.
It can support all aspects of the worldwide air force irregular warfare mission including counter insurgency, foreign internal defence and building partnership capacity.
