Menu
Mountain Home AFB under consideration for new training mission
Mountain Home Air Force Base is one of three bases under consideration to host an A-29 training mission for Afghan pilots and maintainers, the Mountain Home News has learned.
Members of Idaho's congressional delegation and select local leaders have been briefed on the mission, which the U.S. Air Force is attempting to fast track because the current air-to-ground capabilities (Mi-35 helicopters) of the Afghan military forces are expected to begin reaching the final stages of their service life around the end of 2016.
In addition to Mountain Home AFB, Shaw AFB in South Carolina and Moody AFB in Georgia are under consideration for the mission.
The A-29B Super Tucano is a light but heavily armored two-seat air-to-ground counterinsurgency support aircraft. In its training configuration, the U.S. instructor pilot will occupy a seat that has its own set of flight controls, allowing the instructor to take control at any time.
The U.S. Air Force signed a $427 million contract with U.S.-based Sierra Nevada Corporation in March to provide 20 of the turboprop planes to the Afghan air force. The planes will be built by Brazilian subcontractor Embraer. They are exported to small nations around the world.
It is a highly maneuverable aircraft, designed to operate in rugged terrain and from only semi-prepared airfields.
The mission under consideration is believed to be for three years, during which time 30 Afghan air force pilots and 90 maintenance personnel would be trained as an operational cadre for 20 aircraft.
An estimated 14 USAF instructor pilots and 21 maintenance support staff, plus a small number of contractors, would be included in the package for the mission.
Since the Air Force does not fly the A-29, the USAF personnel who would become the training cadre would be trained "on site" at the base selected for the mission, with contractors from the manufacturer providing the familiarization training. The planes could arrive some time in September for that training, according to a statement from the base public affairs office.
Sources indicated that elements of the Afghan pilots and support personnel would rotate through every 9-10 months, until the full contingent of AAF personnel have been trained.
Based on the current tentative but expedited timeline being proposed, after receiving initial pilot training in fixed-wing aircraft at another U.S. base, the Afghan A-29 training unit would stand up in early January and training operations "must begin" in February 2015, according to the USAF briefing to the congressional delegation.
The goal is to have the first combat missions being flown by the Afghan pilots in early 2016 and to produce an initial cadre of Afghan instructors that will return to Afghanistan and continue training new Afghan pilots and maintenance personnel.
All the Afghan personnel will receive instruction in English before being assigned to the selected U.S. training base. They are not expected to bring any dependents with them.
Part of the mission requirements for the training included having a nearby air-to-ground training range, such as the Saylor Creek and ITR (Juniper Butte) ranges, an installation with existing air-to-ground fighter missions, and "move-in ready facilities," including both ramp and dorm space, available space for simulators, and weapons, munitions and base operations support.
Mountain Home, Shaw and Moody were the only bases in the United States that met all the specific mission requirements.
The Air Force does not intend to spend any military construction money on the training mission, but will use existing facilities on base. It's not immediately known if the Afghan government will pay for any cultural facilities that might be desired. The nearest mosque, for example, is 50 miles away in Boise.
"No military construction will be required," Air Force spokesperson Ann Stesanek said, although "some refurbishment of existing facilities may be needed." That was evaluated during the recent site surveys of the three bases, she added. "Additionally, the site survey will better inform decision makers where Afghan personnel would worship and facilitate inclusion of religious accommodations in the basing plans. The Air Force will accommodate the unit's religious practice as is done with other foreign national units on U.S. bases."
The site survey teams have completed their visits at each of the three bases. The survey team visited MHAFB April 8-10.
Idaho's terrain is very similar to the high mountain desert terrain of Afghanistan, and while not considered in the initial criteria, an Air Force spokesperson indicated it would be something the survey teams would take into consideration when they brief officials as to which base would be best for the mission.
The Air Force is trying to expedite the decision but expects to use the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process to select the base, which would put a preferred alternative decision somewhere around late spring or early summer.
"At this time, the Air Force believes an Environmental Assessment (EA) will be sufficient," said Stesanek. "If that is the case, there would be no Record of Decision. Instead, the final document would be a Finding of No Significant Impact. With an Environmental Assessment, no public hearings would be required, but the draft EA would be posted and there would be a public comment period. The U.S. Air Force will then consider public comments prior to making a final decision."
Depending on whether or not the Air Force determines that a relatively simple Environmental Assessment (EA) is needed, or a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be required, will determine how long it will take to reach a final decision.
Including any possible hearings, draft documents and comment periods for final documents, an EA would take about six months while an EIS would take about a year. The EA would fit in the timeline the Air Force Hopes to meet, while the EIS would push that timeline by 3-6 months. Both those timelines assume no problems are identified during the NEPA process.
After the NEPA process is complete, the Secretary of the Air Force, Deborah Lee James, after consultation with the uniformed leadership, will make a final decision.
Although a typical EA takes about six months, Stesanke said the Air Force is hoping to complete it sooner if that's the process selected, which she indicated was likely.
Mountain Home Mayor Tom Rist noted that he was "pleased that we are being considered for different missions," and said that the city would "support the needs of the Air Force" if the base is selected for the Afghan mission.