CASE STUDY / KC-46A THREE-BAY HANGAR, APRON AND INFRASTRUCTURE

A NEW AIRCRAFT OFFERS BOTH CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITY

Designing for the KC-46A meant creating the necessary space and infrastructure without having a physical aircraft to reference.

PROJECT STATS

Client
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District

Location
McConnell Air Force Base

Completion Date
March 2017

CHALLENGE

With a wingspan of more than 157 feet and a length of more than 165 feet, the Boeing KC-46A Pegasus is the Air Force’s largest and most complex aerial refueling and military transport aircraft to date. McConnell Air Force Base near Wichita, Kansas, was designated as the first main operating base for 36 of these new aircraft, requiring that a hangar be designed to accommodate the necessary operations and maintenance.

The sheer size of the aircraft presented issues of its own, but the fact that a model of the aircraft did not exist at the time made the design more challenging. The new facility would need doors and open spaces large enough to allow ease of mobility for crews and equipment during servicing and repairs, as well as foundations strong enough for aircraft jacking to conform to the airframe manufacturer’s recommendations.

Finally, the design process needed to focus on providing the greatest value for the Air Force with cost-effective solutions for site challenges.
MORE THAN

164K

SQUARE FEET OF FACILITIES
CLEAR SPAN OF

205

feet
APPROXIMATELY

$10M

UNDER CONSTRUCTION BUDGET

SOLUTION

Our team was retained to provide all disciplines for several of the facilities involved in the beddown at McConnell in support of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Kansas City under an indefinite delivery contract task order with USACE Mobile. Planning and design of the General Purpose Maintenance Hangar required the consideration of several factors.

 

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SOLUTION

Our team was retained to provide all disciplines for several of the facilities involved in the beddown at McConnell in support of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Kansas City under an indefinite delivery contract task order with USACE Mobile. Planning and design of the General Purpose Maintenance Hangar required the consideration of several factors.

LIFE CYCLE COST ANALYSIS

We conducted life cycle cost analyses to evaluate multiple facility systems to offer value to the Air Force throughout the project. Systems such as the hangar door design, heating and cooling systems for both the hangar spaces and occupied spaces of the facility, and power and compressed air systems were weighed against one another to determine the most costeffective option.

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At this time, Burns & McDonnell is not offering pure architectural services in the states of Illinois, Louisiana, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire or New Jersey. We may, however, provide design-build services for architectural projects.