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Tyndall F-15 Drawdown Delay
12/17/09 - 05:18 PM
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F-15s at Tyndall will continue to serve the base and the community for at least a few months longer.

The final Defense Appropriations bill for 2010 includes a provision to postpone movement of any F-15s from Tyndall until April 1, 2010.

Congressman Allen Boyd, who has been instrumental in the process to delay the drawdown, says although it’s not a new mission, it does give them additional time to secure one.

This bill is slightly different from the versions that passed both the House and Senate earlier this year. Boyd says legislators from both then got together to create this bill from those versions.

The original drawdown was scheduled for 2013. Earlier this year, the Air Force announced its plan to begin the draw down of Tyndall’s F-15s in January 2010, which would greatly impact not only Tyndall Air Force Base but also local economy.

The biggest concern is still securing a new mission to replace the F-15s, and although they lost the bed-down of the F-35s, Boyd says they may have another option with the F-22s.

“They have F-22s at more facilities than they need and they’re going to consolidate those facilities and we hope that… having more F-22s come into Tyndall, we think that’s a natural fit,” Congressman Boyd says.

The language will also require the Air Force to provide Congress with detailed reports on long-term effects from the drawdown, including defense capabilities and local economic impact.

The Air Force would be required to submit a cost-benefit analysis of its proposal to move F-15 training to Kingsley, Oregon.

In addition, the bill also allots more than $17 million in federal funding toward defense technologies at Tyndall and the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City, including money to help the Air Force collect 50% of its aviation fuel from non-petroleum based sources by 2016, to support development of Special Forces equipment, including assisting the Navy in developing a non-gasoline engine and to create better fire suppression technology.

Tyndall AFB had this to say in response to the bill: “Team Tyndall takes great pride in its F-15 mission. It has been a part of the base for decades. We recognize the F-15 drawdown will not only affect the base, but the local community as well, and we are fully prepared to work hand-in-hand to make this as smooth a transition as possible for all concerned.”

The 2010 Defense Appropriations Bill passed in the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday. Although it’s not a done deal, Congressman Allen Boyd says he expects the Senate to vote on the bill in the next few days and expects the president to sign the bill before the end of the year.