Alberici Completes State-of-the-Art Hangar Facility at Tinker AFB

Together with joint venture partner, Walsh Construction, Alberici completed construction of a two-story, 130,000-square-foot hangar at Tinker Air Force Base. The new hangar provides general maintenance, corrosion control, and fuel maintenance operations for the KC-46A Pegasus aircraft. This multi-purpose hangar serves as the centerpiece of the U.S. Air Force’s new fleet maintenance campus in Oklahoma City.

The state-of-the-art complex consists of two aircraft bays and low-bay office and administrative space to support mission-critical activities. It features high-tech control systems that allow each bay to switch between service modes by adjusting systems such as HVAC, electrical, and spill control to meet various program requirements. The complex also includes a separate mechanical building, airfield apron connection, restrooms and locker rooms that double as an emergency storm shelter, training rooms, and a courtyard used to store ground service equipment.

Each hangar bay features six ceiling-mounted telescoping platforms that rise and lower to any elevation, allowing easy access to any surface of the docked aircraft. These fully rotational platforms carry connection points for compressed air, breathing air, water, vacuum, and electrical connections. They also have foldable work surfaces, portable eye wash stations, and a paper dispenser to aid painting operations.

Construction of the hangar complex required fabrication and erection of more than 4,200 tons of structural steel, including clear-span roof trusses weighing more than 30 tons each with lengths of nearly 200 feet. Alberici self-performed significant portions of the project, including concrete foundations, installation of the monorail system, and the project’s unique telescoping platform system.

The facility is designed to achieve USGBC LEED Silver certification and comply with U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) requirements for anti-terrorism/force protection. It also features high-expansion foam fire suppression systems and state-of-the-art lift doors to accommodate the KC-46A tail’s vertical clearance requirements.

“Alberici is proud to continue serving the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and U.S. Air Force to help deliver this complex, time-sensitive project,” said Alberici market leader, Fred Biermann. “We look forward to leveraging our experience at Tinker to continue building world-class facilities that help enhance mission readiness for our country’s armed forces.”

The hangar complex at Tinker Air Force Base is the latest project completed by Alberici in support of the KC-46A initial beddown program. Working with USACE, an Alberici joint venture also recently completed a $153 million three-hangar complex at McConnell Air Force Base.