Air Combat Command officials on Monday released the draft environmental impact statement for the proposed expansion of the Powder River Training Complex. This training range spans portions of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. USAF wants to modify the complex’s airspace to enable B-1 bomber aircrews from Ellsworth AFB, S.D., and B-52 aircrews from Minot AFB, N.D., to train more realistically. This includes establishing new low-altitude airspace and high-altitude training areas. Among the potential impacts cited in the draft document, the proposed action would impede civil air traffic to some extent. With the draft EIS now out, a period of public comment commences. Hearings start next month in communities near the complex to allow citizens to voice support or concern. They kick off Sept. 14 in Rapid City, S.D., and conclude in Billings, Mont., on Oct. 26. (Langley release) (Draft EIS executive summary; caution, large file.)
The Next-Generation Air Dominance Fighter is Air Combat Command’s top priority, because without it, the Air Force can’t provide the control of the air the whole military depends on to operate, Air Combat Command chief Gen. Mark D. Kelly said. He also named a replacement for the E-3 AWACS, new…