BOISE, Idaho — Within the next few years, the Idaho Air National Guard at Gowen Field may be flying a different kind of fighter jet.
The 124th Fighter Wing based in Boise is expected to transition to an F-16 Fighting Falcon mission starting in spring 2027, the U.S. Air Force announced this week. The mission is subject to review, including an environmental impact analysis.
Since 1996, the wing has flown the A-10 Thunderbolt II, which is designed to provide close air support. Pilots and crews with the 124th have flown the A-10 in combat missions in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. However, the Air Force plans to retire the A-10 beginning in fall 2026.
F-16s are expected to begin arriving in Boise in spring 2027 after completion of the environmental impact analysis, which is expected to be completed in spring 2025.
"The transition will better align the Department of Air Force to support the National Defense Strategy and will allow the 124th Fighter Wing to leverage better existing fighter aircraft operations and maintenance expertise," according to a news release from Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs.
The Air Force said the decision to host the F-16 mission at Gowen Field came after assessing the area's ability to facilitate the mission and infrastructure capacity, also accounting for community support, environmental factors and cost.
Gowen Field was previously in consideration as an Air National Guard site for the F-35A Lightning II fighter, but in 2020, the Air Force instead selected sites in Madison, Wisconsin, and Montgomery, Alabama. In the years preceding that decision, Boise's then-Mayor Dave Bieter and many Idaho state leaders actively campaigned to bring the F-35 to the Gem State. However, some Boise residents living near Gowen Field and the Boise Airport were opposed, saying the noise might force them out of their homes.
It appears that the prospect of hosting F-16s in Boise is already reigniting controversy similar to the discussion about the F-35.
Idaho State Rep. John Gannon (D-Boise) represents a legislative district that includes neighborhoods near the airport. He issued a statement Wednesday expressing concerns that "F-16s at the Boise Airport will cost millions of dollars to compensate homeowners whose homes become 'unsuitable for residential use.'"
In his statement, Gannon noted an affordable housing crisis in Boise, and that noise could "very negatively impact housing on St. Andrews, Normandie, South Garden, South Pond and other areas."
Gannon also shared video of homes near the Burlington Airport in Vermont that have been condemned. A final round of buyouts there was completed in 2016, when the Vermont Air National Guard was flying F-16s in the area and was preparing for the arrival of F-35s.
"These are affordable, and yet they have been demolished over the last few years," he said.
Gannon said Mountain Home Air Force Base, about 50 miles southeast of Boise, would make more sense "than spending federal and city money demolishing affordable housing."
The City of Boise hasn't actively campaigned for a new mission at Gowen Field since the Air Force decided against an F-35 mission there. Mayor Lauren McLean has not commented on news about the planned F-16 mission. However, Maria Weeg, the city's director of community engagement, issued the following statement on Wednesday:
"The city wasn't made aware of the potential of the F-16 until we saw it in the news," Weeg said. "We look forward to hearing more from the Air Force on the transition plan, the impact the planes will have on our neighborhoods, and their plans to engage the community."
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