The Air Force has released its draft environmental assessment for the replacement of the Hawaii Air National Guard’s F-15s with F-22s with a finding of “no significant impact.” The EA, which is available online here (caution: large file), took into account, among a number of differences in operations, the fact that F-22 engines “are more powerful and louder than F-15 engines,” but ANG officials worked with the FAA to develop a landing approach to the joint military-commercial airfield that minimizes noise impacts off base. “There would be essentially no discernible change in off-base noise associated with the replacement of F-15s with F-22As,” states the summary of findings.
Dozens of former Airmen are running for Congress in the 2026 midterms, with Election Day fast approaching on Nov. 3. But the potential impact of the election for the Air Force and Space Force goes beyond just the number of former service members on Capitol Hill—the results will also decide…