and for staging B-52 bombers and C-5 transport aircraft. However, due to the absence of a written agreement by Egypt and the subsequent lack of approval for funding of the project at the time, the plans were dropped. The plans were resurrected after Egypt's written agreement, although were scaled down. The new plans scaled down the importance of the CENTCOM facility by constructing POL facilities. The proposals also included the construction of a water desalination plant with a water distribution network, improvements to the airfield (including the construction of a new runway), the construction of warehouses, fuel storage depots and barracks capable of holding 25,000 US troops. Egypt had reservations over the construction of a formal CENTCOM base on the site due to worries that this may form the subject of violence from radical Arabs. This was further reinforced following the assassination of Sadat in 1981. In May 1981, the plans were denounced by the Cairo-based newspaper Ash-Sha'b as "a threat to our independence and sovereignty." In 1982, Hosni Mubarak refused the construction of a permanent US airbase on Ras Banas although made it clear that United States Rapid Deployment Forces could use the military facilities on Ras Banas in the case of an actual emergency.
The cost of construction of the US military facilities was estimated to cost $522 million, making it the second most expensive project in Washington's Southwest Asia strategic network, only being surpassed by Diego Garcia. However, it was believed that costs could rise to as much as $1.6 billion. Of the costs being put forward for the development of Ras Banas, these included $7 million being given from the Secretary of Defense's contingency funds to establish construction mobilisation activities in 1982. However, in 1983, Egypt announced that it would develop Ras Banas without US aid after talks between the two countries broke down over the use of Ras Banas. However, talks recommenced resulting in
