Delaware state and local officials are teaming with officials at Dover AFB, Del., to develop a civil air terminal at the base. The request for proposals will be issued in late March, states a March 19 release. Officials are seeking a “turnkey” proposal that would expand the ramp area and load bearing capacity so it could accommodate “up to four fully loaded Boeing 747 or equivalent size cargo aircraft simultaneously.” The ramp extension project would provide parking for NASCAR race-related aircraft as well as civilian air cargo planes. When it’s not being used, the same space could be “used for other aviation-related activities such as an aircraft maintenance facility, cargo facility, or other uses compatible with Dover AFB operations,” states the release. Dover “is an important economic engine for Delaware and Kent County,” said Alan Levin, director of the Delaware Economic Development Office. “Enhancing the cargo ramp will bring more business to the aviation industry, and in turn create more jobs.”
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.