MHAFB on short list for F-35s

Thursday, October 29, 2009
The F-35 is the newest U.S. fighter-bomber

The Air Force announce Friday that Mountain Home Air Force Base is on the short list for consideration of an operational F-35 Lightning II fighter unit.

The Idaho Air National Guard at Gowen Field also is on the short list for a training squadron of F-35s, according to the Air Force.

The F-35, also known as the Joint Strike Fighter, is a multi-service jet designed to replace the aging F-16 Fighting Falcon.

The Air Force is planning on putting 200-300 of the F-35s in service through 2017.

A decision on which bases will be selected for the squadrons, and how many 24-plane squadrons will be allocated to those bases, will not be made until next spring, followed by a formal Record of Decision in 2011.

Between now and next spring the Air Force will conduct an Environmental Impact Analysis on each base, as well as conduct site surveys and hold public meetings on the proposal.

On the short list for operational F-35 squadrons are: Mountain Home AFB, Hill AFB in Utah, Shaw AFB in South Carolina, the Air National Guard base in Burlington, Vt., and the Air National Guard base in Jacksonville, Miss.

The F-35 training squadrons also were being considered for location with the Idaho Air National Guard at Gowen Field in Boise, the Air National Guard base in Tuscon, Ariz., and at the active-duty bases of Eglin AFB in Florida, Luke AFB in Arizona and Holloman AFB in New Mexico.

No information concerning the number of squadrons that would be deployed at any of those bases is expected until the final analysis is completed next spring, but according to a press release from the Idaho congressional delegation, Mountain Home Air Force Base is under consideration to receive up to three operational squadrons of the F-35. Those planes would be expected to replace the base's existing F-15s.

Idaho's Congressional delegation issued a short statement Thursday afternoon in advance of the formal Air Force announcement Friday.

"The Air Force clearly recognizes the excellent facilities, training range, community support and future contributions for Idaho in nominating Mountain Home Air Force Base and Boise Air National Guard to host our next generation fighters," Sen. Crapo said.

"Over the past year, I have met with Air Force leaders and personally expressed my support for these missions to the Air Force chief of staff, Gen. Norton Schwartz. This is exciting news, and the first step to securing the future missions for Idaho that will lead to an increased investment in jobs, aircraft and infrastructure in Idaho. I will follow closely the Air Force's consideration as we move ahead in this vetting process."

"Having two sites qualify in the top five reflects the first-rate facilities, training and support our military men and women receive in Idaho," said Sen. Jim Risch. "As the public process now begins, I encourage Idahoans to play a supportive role in these important siting decisions."

"It is great news that the Air Force has chosen both the Boise Air National Guard and Mountain Home Air Force Base as candidate sites for the Joint Strike Fighter. Idaho has excellent training facilities, top notch military personnel, and outstanding community support. I look forward to working with the Air Force as they continue with their assessments," said Second District Congressman Mike Simpson.

"To be part of this final group is testament to the excellent, hardworking folks in the Boise Air National Guard and the crews at Mountain Home Air Force Base," First District Congressman Walt Minnick said. "I will continue working with the Idaho Delegation and the Air Force to make the case that our state offers the best candidates to house the Joint Strike Fighters."

According to Kyle Hines, a spokesperson for Sen. Risch's office, the addition of the F-35 to Mountain Home AFB or Gowen Field would "help stabilize the state's struggling economy."

"Any time you have a new aircraft, it definitely helps the economy and brings in new jobs," he said, although he admitted that without a firm dollar figure it would be hard to quantitatively measure the impact, "but it would be a positive thing."

"We definitely want to solicit support for the F-35 in Idaho, both here and at the Boise Air Terminal, according to Billy Richey of Mountain Home, Idaho Special Assistant for Military Affairs.

"It would be a tremendous economic impact for here and the state of Idaho.

"Obviously, both are supported by the same training range and airspaces," he said, adding, "the guard has mainly legacy airplanes, most slated to be retired. So this would be a great mix here in Idaho.

"This is very big," Richey said. "We have two bases selected to be on the candidate list, so that's outstanding. It tells a lot about the capabilities here and the support for the military in Idaho."

"While the announcement of potential Air Force installations doesn't necessarily mean Idaho will get these aircraft," Gov. Butch Otter said, "I am very pleased that two Idaho Air Force installations are in the running -- the 366th Fighter Wing at Mountain Home Air Force Base and the Idaho Air National Guard's 124th Fighter Wing.

"There are a number of steps yet to go before the Air Force makes its final decisions. But the hard work, community support and close collaboration of everyone involved -- from the people of Mountain Home and Elmore County to our Idaho-based Air Force officials, our Idaho National Guard leadership and our economic development folks -- made all the difference in getting us on the short list. It's encouraging that the Air Force thinks so much of our track record, our outstanding facilities, and most of all the people who make it all go."

Mayor Tom Rist made no bones about his attitude toward getting the squadrons. "This is the best spot in the country to house the F-35s. We have no encroachment and a world-class training range.

"I'm perplexed it has taken this long," he said, referring to lobbying efforts for the squadrons in recent years. "We want them.

"It would be a great for our economy and a great opportunity for the nation."

The Chamber's Military Affairs Committee chairman, John Marshall, said the committee will step up its efforts to secure the mission. "Now is not the time to let our guard down. Other states are fighting for this as well.

"We're working at organizing a grass roots effort, as well as coordinating with our state officials and national delegation.

"If we want to keep our base, we need the F-35s. They're the future of the Air Force and the only game in town," Marshall added.

Alan Bermensolo travels each year to meet with Air Force officials as a part of the MAC annual tour, and also makes at least two additional trips as part of the Air Force Community Leaders group, said "this is exciting stuff for Mountain Home." Efforts to secure the F-35 mission have been going on for at least three years.

"We're in competition with other ACC bases," he noted. "I think it is safe to say that at some point in the future we'll get the F-35s here, but we want to be one of the first.

"We're going to work hard to show the Air Force leadership that we're the ideal place for these squadrons."

Production of the Lightning II, the nation's newest fighter-bomber, is expected to begin by 2013. The F-35 complements the Air Force's current fleet of F-22 Raptors, which Congress capped at 134 jets.

The Air Force considered 205 bases in the initial selection round for the F-35 based on various factors including: airspace, flight training ranges, weather, support facilities, runways, taxi ramps, environmental concerns and cost. Military efficiencies, operational plans and building partnerships also were weighed, the delegation said.

Sites not selected in the initial deployment will continue to be evaluated as potential homes for the 1,763 total F-35 aircraft slated for purchase by 2035.

One of Mountain Home AFB's strengths is the nearby Mountain Home Range Complex. Comparable in size to the combat training range north of Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., the range here is used by Air Force, Navy and Marine flying units as well as representatives from other foreign military branches.

Despite its size as the largest training facility for aircraft in the United States, the Nellis training range remains continuously booked and faces increasing encroachment problems. The shortage of available range time there has prompted many flying units throughout the U.S. and NATO to turn to Mountain Home for permission to use its airspace.

Another advantage is the base's proximity to the training range -- five minutes by air. Besides saving on fuel, that allows aircrews to get to the "fight" faster than those using the Nellis range, Col. John Bird, 366th Fighter Wing commander, said in a recent interview.

In addition, the base's first-ever Gunfighter Flag combat readiness exercise, a mini Red Flag similar to those held at Nellis, and which concluded last month, demonstrates its ability to hold large-scale combat readiness exercises with its existing infrastructure. The multi-national exercise included U.S. forces based in Nevada, Washington, Oklahoma and Arizona along with Canadian forces from Alberta.

As a way to expand air combat training out of Mountain Home, military officials continue to pursue plans to expand the existing 7,400 square miles of airspace around the base's range complex by roughly 30 percent, the colonel said.

If approved, the expanded boundaries over southern Idaho, western Oregon and northern Nevada would give the base the flexibility to schedule additional air-to-air combat training in the southern part of the range.

The proposed range expansion doesn't include increasing the base's current 122,000 acres of land dedicated to air-to-ground training.

In addition, the base currently features sufficient space to launch and park additional aircraft, Bird said. In fact, the base's main 13,500-foot runway is one of a handful of runways in the United States large enough to double as an emergency landing site for the space shuttle.

The base currently maintains four squadrons of approximately 80 F-15 fighters, including a unit from the Republic of Singapore air force. However, the fighter wing begins to lose its 20 of its F-15C air-to-air fighters in 2010 as part of the recommendations made by the Base Realignment and Closure commission.

Besides improvements at its training range, the base continues to move forward with plans to replace its aging infrastructure using federal stimulus money. The approximately $14 million influx allows the base to demolish dozens of smaller buildings originally built in the 1940s and 1950s and move people into consolidated facilities that oversee the base's civil engineering and logistics readiness operations.

Meanwhile, the base allocated funds to refurbish two existing dormitories for use as billeting --the Air Force's equivalent of a motel. Improvements like that allow the base to bring in people from other bases to take advantage of training opportunities here.

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    I am keeping my fingers crossed that this happens. Not only will the addition of the F-35 improve things on base but it surely cannot hurt the local area as well.

    -- Posted by B Mullen on Thu, Oct 29, 2009, at 7:07 PM
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    OG I totally agree, maybe if this comes to fruition, we will finally see new starts in every direction for Mountain Home. my fingers are crossed too!

    -- Posted by Stinger on Tue, Nov 3, 2009, at 9:31 AM
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