Vandenberg Air Force Base could become home to pair of programs that would bring hundreds of airmen and support staff to the Central Coast, along with two dozen unmanned aerial vehicles.
Col. Chris Moss, 30th Space Wing commander, revealed the potential new missions Wednesday during the annual State of Vandenberg luncheon attended by members of the Santa Maria Valley and Lompoc Valley chambers of commerce.
“In the past week, last week and this week, we’ve had two site-survey teams that are trying to decide if Vandenberg will become home to new missions,” Moss said near the end of the 40-minute speech, while looking ahead for 2017,
One team assessed Vandenberg’s suitability to become home to a large unit for the MQ-9 Reaper program, which could bring 24 remotely piloted aircraft and 1,600 personnel to the base.
“That’s a very exciting mission opportunity for Vandenberg,” Moss said.
The installation with 99,000 acres and a 3-mile-long runway is one of four finalists to house the MQ-9 Reaper, with others being Eglin AFB and Tyndall AFB, both in Florida; and Shaw AFB in South Carolina.
The MQ-9 Reaper, larger than its Predator sibling, is an armed, multi-mission, medium-altitude, long-endurance remotely piloted aircraft that is employed primarily against targets but also collects intelligence, the Air Force said.
The drone plane has a wingspan of 66 feet and boasts a maximum take off weight of 10,500 pounds. Reapers have a cruising speed to 230 mph and a range of 1,150 miles.
Air Force officials said the main criteria being assessed are mission, capacity, environmental requirements and cost factors.
The addition would come as Vandenberg works to posture itself as a “Center of Excellence” for unmanned aerial vehicles, Moss said.
He made his comments days after civilian photographers captured pictures of what experts identified as the still-classified RQ-170 Sentinel spy drone flying over the base.
Meanwhile, Air Education & Training Command will evaluate Vandenberg for the future home of the Battlefield Airmen School in an effort to consolidate several programs for elite military members now spread among eight states.
Vandenberg already hosts several educational programs through the 381st Training Squadron’s classes informally known as “Space & Missile University” to prep officers and enlisted members for their careers working with rockets, satellites and ICBMs.
If chosen, the program would mean another 1,500 people to become part of Vandenberg’s permanent mission, Moss said.
Decisions for the potential new missions could be made within weeks for the Reaper program, while the new training school home likely won’t be chosen until fall, Moss said.
Santa Maria Councilwoman Etta Waterfield asked Moss if Central Coast leaders can do anything to boost the likelihood of Vandenberg being chosen.
“The answer’s no and here’s why — the team comes in and they have a set checklist of things they look at…” he said, adding the assessment looks at facilities already available and other objective metrics.
“I’m hopeful we’ll hear sooner rather than later so we’ll understand what the future is,” Moss said.
In all, Vandenberg’s manifest calls for up to 13 launches in 2017, with three already having blasted off, Moss said.
Across the Air Force and at Vandenberg, personnel will mark the 70th anniversary of the youngest branch of the military, with a theme of “Breaking Barriers” he said.
He noted several historical milestones at Vandenberg, including an era that saw 100 launches annually.
“As we move into 2017 … we’re going to continue to break barriers,” Moss said.
This year will see the start of construction on the Air Force’s largest solar array farm involving a partnership with a private company.
The solar farm will be located on 250 acres at the site of the now-demolished East Housing area near Vandenberg Middle School.
The project will generate one-third of the power required to operate Vandenberg facilities annually, Moss said.
Also, the coming years could bring more foreign visitors to Vandenberg as the base looks to become a Department of Defense “Multinational Sharing Center,” Moss said.
The center would allow other countries to share information about their space operations with an eye toward improving safety and efficiency, he said.
This could lead to military members from Germany, Italy, France, Korean and Japanese involved in the sharing of space information, Moss added.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.