Boise (670 KBOI) – It’s the news the City of Boise didn’t want to hear…the Air Force will not base the F-35 at Gowen Field, not at this time, anyway.
Air National Guard bases in Wisconsin and Alabama were chosen to receive the first deployments of F-35, while Gowen Field, and bases in Florida and Michigan were chosen as alternates.
Idaho National Guard Public Affairs Officer Major Christopher Borders this doesn’t mean Gowen won’t get an F-35 mission in the future.
“We’re still under consideration to receive the F-35,” said Borders. “We’re still going to undergo the environmental impact study, and we’re pretty confident that through that process, Gowen Field will be recognized as a logical choice to receive the F-35.”
The Air Guard bases in Wisconsin and Alabama currently operate the aging F-16, and Borders says the Air Force made the decision to base F-35s there, so it could start retiring those F-16s.
In the meantime, Borders says the Air Force has indefinitely extended the life of the A-10 Warthog ground attack fighter. The A-10 currently does fly out of Gowen Field.
