BOISE, Idaho — The A-10 Thunderbolt II, affectionately known as the 'Warthog', has been flying out of Gowen Field for three decades.
"It's the longest serving aircraft we've had here at Gowen Field," said Lt. Col. Chris Borders with the Idaho National Guard.
Soon, this beloved aircraft that Idahoans have seen soaring over the Treasure Valley for 30 years may be replaced with something new — the F-16.
"The Air Force has been looking to retire the A-10 for a very long time," Borders said.
Last week, the Air Force announced it is preparing an environmental impact statement as it considers swapping Gowen Field's 21 A-10s for 21 F-16s.
WATCH | Hear from Lt. Col. Chris Borders about the proposal
Borders said the study will also examine impacts in nearby neighborhoods.
"It'll look at things like the impact on human and natural resources, as well as the impacts on the surrounding community," he said.
The Air Force is encouraging public input by March 15 to help shape its initial analysis.
RELATED | Air Force drafts Environmental Impact Statement to host F-16 jets at Gowen Field
"Most common concern is the noise factor," Borders said.
Currently the jets typically take off on training missions twice a day.
"Really what it works out to be is about 10 minutes of audible jet noise every day," he said.
When the planes depart, they head directly to a training area far outside of town to reduce noise for residents.
RELATED | Iconic A-10 Warthog makes final flight to new home at Warhawk Air Museum
"We tailor that noise to mitigate the impacts on the public with every aircraft that we receive and Boise has been a very livable city the entire 80 years we've been doing this and it's not gonna change just because of the type of aircraft we operate," Borders said.
The proposal to switch to F-16s will take some time. A draft of the environmental impact findings is expected this fall for public review. The final statement is expected next spring.
If approved, F-16s could arrive at Gowen Field in late 2027.
"We are still A-10 experts. We are still in the A-10 business and we're going to be until we are assigned the new aircraft — if that should be the case," Borders said.
Those wanting to weigh in on the proposal visit www.GowenFieldF16EIS.com
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
