Three hangars and a reinforced concrete strip for short takeoff and landing combat practice are part of $190 million in construction projects that eventually will be completed.

Four locations are being considered for the 3,500- to 5,000-foot landing strip — Kalaeola and the Marine Corps base at Kane'ohe Bay, Kona International Airport and Barking Sands on Kaua'i — but officials said Kona may be the best spot.

Each of the big jet cargo carriers will be able to transport two of the Army's 20-ton Stryker vehicles as part of a plan to rapidly move the new fast-strike brigade to trouble spots in Asia and the Pacific.

Air Force officials and U.S. Sen. Dan Inouye and Rep. Neil Abercrombie, both Hawai'i Democrats, attended the groundbreaking , which included a traditional Hawaiian blessing and untying of a maile lei.

An Air Force honor guard stands by for groundbreaking ceremonies at Hickam Air Force Base for $190 million in construction projects. Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser

It will also mean a unique partnership between the Hawai'i Air National Guard and the active-duty Air Force. Pilots and maintenance crews will come from both sides to work on and fly the C-17s.

"It's brand new. There's nothing like it in the United States as far as the way the organization will look," said Col. Peter Pawling, commander of the Air Guard's 154th Wing. "The Guard is looking at how to operate more effectively in the future, and this is one example of how to do that."

Officials previously said 100 full-time Air Guard and 400 active-duty jobs would be created by the C-17 basing.

Both of Hickam's missions — refueling and airlift — were on display on the tarmac. A C-17 from Charleston, S.C., was parked near one of the Air Guard's C-130 Hercules propeller-driven aircraft that the new cargo carriers will replace.

A B-1 bomber returning to Texas from a mission was parked nearby, and several F/A-18 Hornet attack aircraft are at Hickam from California for training with the Air Guard's F-15A/B Eagle fighters. The Guard also has KC-135R tankers.

"This is a day when we are demonstrating to our nation and the world that our active force, the Air Force, and the Guard, can work together ... ," Inouye said. "But more important than that, it demonstrates our commitment in the Pacific. "

The Air Force has been looking for a short takeoff and landing strip for steep combat maneuvers that would put ruts in most runways.

Of the four locations being looked at, Kona International may have the lead. The C-17s, which will be flown to Washington state for the practice before a strip here is built, will make about 40 trips to the site a month.

"As we collect all the information, it's clear the west coast of the Big Island of Hawai'i both meets our requirements for good training ... and it's also not in a densely populated area as some of the other runways may be," said Col. Raymond Torres, the 15th Airlift Wing commander. "So if you are asking, are there more concerns with some of the other areas — clearly. Reopening of Barbers Point (Kalaeloa) would be more of a challenge for the C-17s than building a runway with state support on the Big Island."