Johnson: B-21s at Ellsworth could rival Mt. Rushmore

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KELO) — A panel of state lawmakers is looking at possible ways to help western South Dakota get ready for the new B-21 bombers that are coming.

The Legislature’s Select Committee on Legislative Relationships with Ellsworth Air Force Base held its first meeting Monday.

The mix of senators and representatives asked questions and heard presentations from business, local government and school leaders.

The new Ellsworth Air Force Base commander, Colonel Derek Oakley, was also on hand, as was Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The panel’s co-chairs are Republican Rep. Gary Cammack and Republican Sen. Michael Walsh .

Cammack said the information would be used to make decisions in the 2025 legislative session, which opens in January.

Walsh said Ellsworth Air Force Base is as important to western South Dakota as the financial sector is to eastern South Dakota.

Tom Johnson is CEO for Elevate Rapid City, a pro-business group. He said the arrival of the B-21 Raiders would rival the significance of Mount Rushmore.

“This is probably the biggest project in our lifetimes, especially in western South Dakota,” Johnson said. “This is going to have the same kind of impacts in our economy.”

Scott Landguth is executive director for the Ellsworth Development Authority that was established in 2009 while Rounds was governor. Landguth said the Air Force plans to buy 100 B-21s as replacements for the B-1 Lancers and B-2 Spirit bombers now in use.

The B-21s will be spread across three bases, including Ellsworth. The Air Force also is installing new engines and making other upgrades on B-52 bombers. But the Air Force sees a need for at least 220 bombers to keep pace with China, according to Landguth.

“Ellsworth would be a great place to add another squadron on top of what we’re already getting,” he said.

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