Post
by KyleG » Wed Jul 29, 2020 8:28 pm
Mildenhall and Fairford both have a heap of different reasons why they're useful, looking at it as a case of if you close one then you'll save money is too simple.
Mildenhall has all the infrastructure for supporting C-135s, C-130s and V-22s as well as the regular transport flights. Fairford might have the physical room, but all of that would have to be rebuilt there - hangars, maintenance facilities, crew rooms, operations facilities, cargo handling (I know Fairford handles cargo flights too, but it can't really compare to the volume that Mildenhall gets).
Then the other way around, Fairford has the facilities to support intensive bomber operations as well as the almost unique ability to handle the B-2's specific needs. It might be empty a lot of the time, but that's the point of it. If it was suddenly completely filled with former Mildenhall aircraft its ability to act as a forward base for strategic bombers would suffer.
The RC-135s might (saying this just in theory) still move regardless of the facilities being existent at Mildenhall already because if those more in depth facilities are required the aircraft can simply be moved there, the RC fleet isn't a stranger to operating from all kinds of far flung bases.