VIDEO: Phase-Out of Idaho’s A-10 May Slow Now After Elections

BOISE, Idaho (KTVB) – There is some new hope for the Idaho Air National Guard's A-10 fighter jet program now that the election dust has settled.

Last June, Congress put the program on the chopping block, but held off for another year to study the measure further. But, with a Republican shift in Congress, some leaders in Washington, D.C., are hoping that could slow the phase-out of the military aircraft even more. The decision to defund the A-10 program left many here at Gowen Field in Boise feeling uneasy.

The aircraft will go away, but there have been concerns that getting rid of them now might be premature. "There is a lot of us that would like to see the retirement of the A-10 slowed down some," said Idaho Sen. Jim Risch. Risch said that slowdown could be easier than anticipated because of results from the general election.

Although he says it is not a partisan issue, Arizona Senator John McCain says the Air Force won't be able to retire the A-10s ground attack jet now that he's in line to become chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Boise Mayor Dave Bieter told us last spring that the loss of the A-10s could result in a loss of $80 million a year from the economic impact of Gowen Field.