Selfridge Losing Fighter Mission?

[Joker]

This article details the USAF's recent decision to give the 127th 12 KC-46's. What are your thoughts on the 107th losing their fighter mission once the A-10 is divested. It seems like a Michigan based fighter mission has been on the chopping block for several decades now.

 

https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2024/01/12/selfridge-air-national-guard-base-picked-to-host-kc-46-squadron/

 

[O Face]

 I wish I had some solid info, but Guard units getting BRAC’d, switching airframes, or missions is entirely smoke and mirrors and the unit commanders usually find out about the same time as the news reports it. Any predictions you hear aren’t worth a shit.

[SocialD]

What O face said.  I remember the BRAC of the mid-2000s, when all of the 3 other wings in my state we're certain my base would be closing.  BRAC comes out and two of the other wings are slated for closure and my base picks up an alert mission.  Fast forward 20 years, both of the bases slated for closure are still open.  One was supposed to lose their planes, but ended up flying another plane for a while, then switched back to original airframe.  They've now lost their birds and switched to non-flying mission.  The other base kept it jets for nearly a decade then switched to UAVs.  The month they were slated to lose their last jet, an AD 4-star tried to reverse the process because he wanted the training capacity.  Alas, it was too late...go figure. 

It's all political and crapshoot.   Why the fuck did the AD give the F-35 to two bases where the locals absolutely hated the noise of the F-16 and cause all kinds of problems for the base?  How strong is your politician?  

[WxNonner]

They're fighting pretty hard to get something to replace the A-10, but I think they're going to get some pushback on that just based on noise (anything is loud by comparison). But MI senators have made it pretty clear that they're fighting to bring another fighter in. Everyone thinks it's going to be the F-15EXs but as has already been pointed out here, no one actually knows and these are just schoolyard rumors. 

[Props]

Same thing in Boise, they didn’t pass the environmental impact study for the F-35, and then was offered F-16s. Hopefully it works out for them, but nobody knows. I think they have their study next year.

I saw what you posted, with every congressman from a fighter state signing stuff to keep their fighters, idk how that works but if they propose a bill and it doesn’t go anywhere it’s just political posturing and talking points.

I don’t even think it comes down to noise abatement issues. Like the others have said, it comes down to the congressman’s pull and what the Air Force decides they want to do today.