A final decision to locate the turboprop transport planes in Great Falls won't be made until June, after an environmental impact statement is conducted, the Air Force said in a statement Wednesday. If approved, the planes' expected delivery would be in 2014.
The Idaho Air National Guard base in Boise also was being considered for the new C-27J unit. Both sites were evaluated by survey teams before the announcement of Great Falls as the preferred location.
It would be the Air Force's seventh C-27J operational base. The C-27J's short take-off and landing capabilities give troops access to airstrips otherwise unreachable by fixed-wing aircraft, the Air Force said. The announcement raises questions about the future of the F-15 fighter jet mission that has operated out of Great Falls since 2008. A Power Point presentation by Air Force officials to congressional leaders on Wednesday listed as a key finding that Great Falls is scheduled to lose its current mission.
The loss of the fighter jets had not been previously announced, though the future of the F-15 mission was questioned Wednesday after the Air Force announced Great Falls as its preferred location for four C-27J transport aircraft.
Moving the F-15s out of Great Falls to California is part of a larger reduction announced earlier this year, Air Force spokesman Gary Strasburg said Thursday.
The Air Force said Wednesday the Montana Air National Guard's base in Great Falls beat out Boise, Idaho, as the preferred location for the new C-27J transport mission.
A final decision will be made in June, and if approved, the planes' expected delivery would be in 2014.
There are more than 900 men and women with the 120th Fighter Wing and its 18 F-15 fighter jets. It was not immediately clear how many jobs would be attached to the C-27J mission, and Strasburg said that number has yet to be determined. Strasburg confirmed Thursday that the C-27J mission would be a consolation for the loss of the F-15s.
"Part of the answer to that move (to Fresno) was to determine whether there was something else we could provide for Great Falls and that was part of reason for the announcement," he said.
GQfluffy wrote:What the hell does GTF/Malmstrom need 4 Metros for? So much for the Montana Air National Guard.
Though I imagine that they need neither. The only reason they got them was so that the MT ANG didn't get basically scrapped. Zak wrote:What exactly does Leah do?
And why is she still not a member here?
The United States received its first C-27J on 25 September 2008.[25] In September 2008 the C-27J Schoolhouse, operated by L-3 Link, officially began classes at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. By April 2009, the Army had accepted deliveries of two aircraft and had 11 more on order.[26] A proposal in May 2009 that the US Army/Army National Guard relinquish all of its aircraft to the US Air Force, primarily the Air National Guard, with a reduction of the total buy to 38 aircraft,[27] led the DoD to give total control of the US's C-27Js to the USAF in December.[21] It will be entirely operated to the Air National Guard for direct support of the United States Army. The US Air National Guard has received 4 C-27Js and began using them for testing and training. Purchase of 38 Spartans is anticipated, with initial operational capability to be reached in October 2010 and its first combat deployment planned for March 2011.[28]
ShyFlyer wrote:If y'all don't want them, we'll take them. Still no word on what the 150th FW / NM ANG will be doing post F-16s.
miamiair wrote:Pretty nimble, for a pig...
Lucas wrote:miamiair wrote:Pretty nimble, for a pig...
I think it uses super Herc engines?
Lucas wrote:ShyFlyer wrote:If y'all don't want them, we'll take them. Still no word on what the 150th FW / NM ANG will be doing post F-16s.
You guys are still in limbo? What happens if you don't get...anything?
