Public meetings set prior to arrival of new jets at Sheppard Air Force Base

Although the landing of the T-7A Red Hawk is still several years away, the Air Force and Sheppard Air Force Base are gearing up for the transition to the new trainer jets.

Sheppard, one of the Air Force's major pilot training installations, posted notice on its Facebook page Wednesday it will host two public “scoping meetings” at Cannedy Hall at MSU Texas on July 30 and 31. Both meetings will start at 4 p.m.

The T-7A Red Hawks are jet trainers produced by Boeing and Saab that will replace the Northrip T-38 jets that have been a staple at Sheppard for decades.

The MSU meetings are to identify “issues and alternatives” to be addressed in an Environment Impact Statement, which is required by the federal government.

The post said Sheppard would transition to the new planes between 2033 and 2036 and is the last of five bases being analyzed environmentally to possibly get the planes.

The base’s post indicates Sheppard and the surrounding area would experience a temporary increase of about 100 staff and 190 dependents during that transition period. Afterwards, staffing would revert to present levels. The new planes would also require some construction work on base.

The post revealed three possible alternatives for the transition to the T-7A.

• SAFB would receive up to 108 T-7A aircraft and phase in their training operations while simultaneously phasing out the T-38s between 2034 and 2036.

• SAFB would receive up to 108 T-7A aircraft and perform operations about 25 percent greater than Alternative 1 in the event of an increase in pilot training for strategic or tactical operational reasons.

• SAFB would receive up to 131 T-7A aircraft for future capacity needs and perform operations 22 percent greater than Alternative 1.

The post also include a “no action alternative” in which Sheppard does not receive T-7A aircraft and continues to use T-38s until the end of their service lives within the next decade.

The base said the hearings at MSU will be an "open-house format" with poster stations, but no formal presentations will be provided. A comment table will be provided for attendees to prepare and submit comments.