Thursday, February 22, 2001

By Scott Schonauer
Rota bureau

NAVAL STATION ROTA, Spain — The Air Force needs a few good parking spaces and one Navy base hopes to accommodate it.

Military commanders plan to ask Congress to pay for an $80 million project that will create 16 new parking spaces for large cargo planes in Rota. Spain’s Ministry of Defense’s approval of the project last month was considered a critical step toward construction.

The runway expansion — dubbed "En route" — is part of a larger, $200 million master plan that will consolidate buildings at Rota to save money on utilities and operating expenses. It also would help beef up Naval Station Rota’s role as a major hub for military aircraft and troops.

Air Force Col. Frank Laras, commander of the Rota-based 625th Air Mobility Support Squadron, said the extra spaces are needed for contingency operations like the 1999 NATO bombing campaign against Yugoslavia.

With the scheduled closure of Rhein-Main Air Base in Germany in 2005, the military is looking for places to put additional C-5, C-141 and C-17 transport planes. Rhein-Main was a staging area during the Persian Gulf War.

"With Rhein-Main scheduled to close, where do you go to?" Laras said. "This will provide a surge capability we didn’t have before."

The parking spots not only offer more room for the big planes, they also would slash the two-hour refueling time in half, Laras said. Each space would be equipped with a fire hydrant-like pump station, eliminating the need for a tanker truck.

The project also includes an "engine run spot," where mechanics can rev up aircraft engines safely.

Two of the parking spaces will be on the runway’s "hot cargo" area, where planes with hazardous material or bombs are parked.

Spain’s backing of the project is just one step in getting the improvements. The next major hurdle is getting the support from Congress. If approved, construction would begin next year, base spokesman Lt. j.g. Bill Davis said.

The naval station’s role as a major stopping point for military transport planes has grown over the years because of its location and the usually great weather.

The 625th operates a sort of pit stop for cargo planes, servicing and fixing them while pilots and crewmembers wait.

If they have the time and people, they also will help fighters and aircraft from other services. But their main job is to take care of Air Mobility Command planes. Last year, the airfield logged 2,500 Air Force transport missions.

During a major military operation in Europe, Africa or Southwest Asia, the military transport planes would come to Rota or nearby Morón Air Base near Seville, Spain. Although Morón was considered for the En Route project, the base did not have the facilities, Laras said.

Rota’s master plan, called Rota 2010 Vision, includes demolishing more than 120 buildings and constructing 30 new structures to make the base more "functional, usable and cost-effective," Davis said.

Some of the projects proposed as part of the plan include a new command operations center, commissary, exchange, schools and port improvements.

Back to February's stories
Page Two news roundup
Stories from January, 2001
Stories from December, 2000
Stories from November, 2000
Stories from October, 2000
Stories from August and September, 2000
Stories from June and July, 2000
Home