South Dakota Searchlight – Seventeen planes and 800 people will temporarily transfer to Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota to accommodate a runway construction project at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, the Air Force said Monday.
The transfer of B-1B Lancers and personnel is expected to begin this month and last about 10 months. The runway construction is one of many projects at Ellsworth to prepare for the B-21 Raider, a new long-range strike bomber under development for the Air Force by Northrop Grumman. The B-21s will eventually replace the B-1s at Ellsworth.
“The runway construction at Ellsworth is a key milestone in ensuring we’re ready to receive the B-21 Raider,” said Col. Derek Oakley, the commander of the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth, near Rapid City.
Residents around Ellsworth will notice more construction traffic, the Air Force said, and locals in North Dakota’s Red River Valley will notice an increase in military vehicle freight and air traffic.
Earlier this year, several of Ellsworth’s B-1 bombers relocated to Dyess Air Force Base in Texas. The arrival date of B-21s at Ellsworth is expected “in the mid-2020s,” the Air Force said.