(Radio Iowa) – Community leaders in the Sioux City metro are urging the governors of Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota to lobby for federal funding for a project at Sioux City’s airport. The runway for the Iowa Air National Guard was built for lightweight F-16 fighter jets, but 20 years ago the 185th became a Refueling Wing, flying massive K-C-one-35 (KC-135) Stratotankers that weigh 41-and-a-half tons when fully loaded. Kevin McManany, a Sioux City real estate broker, spoke during a meeting yesterday (Tuesday) with the three governors — and mentioned the Air Force plans to buy new refueling tankers next year.

“The 185th has a proven record of excellence,” he said. “It’s got a record of successful transitions from plane types and we believe that the 185th is well positioned to convert to the new KC-46 or whatever iteration comes next.”

The 2025 Tri-States Governors Conference was held in South Dakota. (Photo by Sheila Brummer, Iowa Public Radio)

The first Boeing K-C-46 (KC-46) Pegasus tanker was delivered to the Air Force in 2019. Replacing the Iowa Air National Guard’s runway in Sioux City is projected to cost 148 MILLION dollars. The Federal Aviation Administration has set aside 20 MILLION dollars for the project, but that funding will be lost if the Pentagon doesn’t start the project by mid-2027. South Dakota’s governor says his state is absolutely in support of lining up federal funding to replace the runway.