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Just over a month ago, the United States Air Force announced that Vance Air Force Base, in Enid, Oklahoma, will be ‘Main Operating Base 4' for its T-7A Recapitalization program. The T-7A Red Hawk is the Boeing-made aircraft USAF has selected to replace the aging fleet of T-38 Talons that young pilots have been training on at Vance AFB and other bases in the South and Southwest since the 1960s.
The decision was very welcome news in Oklahoma, and in the offices of Oklahoma members of Congress who have, over the years, made it a priority to support the five military bases located in the state.
In an interview this week, Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK3), whose district includes Vance AFB, spoke with Griffin Media's Alex Cameron about the significance of the decision:
LUCAS: "This is a very important thing because Vance is one of the premier pilot training bases, not just in the United States - in the world. And the shift from T-38s, those graceful old planes that have flown across Oklahoma since the early 1960s, to the new T-7s represents the next generation. It will give the training programs a lot more options in the way that they're configured, but importantly, from the perspective of Vance and Oklahoma, it means a long-term investment in continuing to train the best and the brightest young men and women in Enid, Oklahoma.
...on why the T-38s are being phased out:
LUCAS: "It's 1950s technology. The last ones came off the assembly line in the mid to early 60s. They're not as old as the B-52s, but they're pretty close. And this next move will give the Air Force the ability to reconfigure the cockpits, to do different kinds of training all simultaneously, so it's-it's just the next step forward, but it means we'll be training those young men and women for years to come in Enid, Oklahoma."
...on why Vance was chosen to remain a preferred training facility:
LUCAS: "The Air Force is always looking for the most efficient use of resources, the best training opportunities, and there's a lot of competition amongst the bases that do this primary pilot training. And it's a statement about the quality of the training we provide in Oklahoma, and the efficiency, because it's primarily a contractor-run base when it comes to service and support, since 1958. So, our track record is solid, and I've never met a pilot who trained Vance Air Force Base who doesn't have a wonderful memory of the facility, the flight paths, the training areas, and the community."
...on the efforts politicians and the community of Enid have made to keep Vance a viable facility:
LUCAS: "(The late) Senator Inhofe, myself, for decades have worked very hard to make sure that Vance has all the necessary resources - relatively new control tower, rebuilding the runways, the city of Enid has upgraded their private airport runway to be a fourth runway for the Air Force. I mean, everyone in the Air Force understands that everybody in the community and the delegation have been working hard to maximize it. And we're talking about a thousand people. That's a substantial payroll in Enid, Oklahoma."
Here is a portion of the Air Force's Record of Decision (ROD), published when it announced the decision regarding Vance AFB on 6/10/26:
INTRODUCTION
The Department of the Air Force (DAF) will replace the existing T-38C aircraft with the beddown of the T-7A aircraft at Main Operating Base (MOB) 4, Vance Air Force Base (AFB), Oklahoma. DAF considered the information, analyses, and public comments on and contained in the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for T-7A Recapitalization at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma, along with other matters, to make its decision.
This Record of Decision (ROD) is issued per the Department of Defense National Environmental Policy Act Implementing (NEPA) Procedures Part 4.1, Decision documents and the DAF NEPA Implementing Procedures Part 4.1, Decision documents. DAF is the lead agency for this EIS.
DECISION SYNOPSIS
The Air Education and Training Command (AETC) operates the T-38C from five pilot training installations: Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA)-Randolph in Texas, Columbus AFB in Mississippi, Laughlin AFB in Texas, Vance AFB in Oklahoma, and Sheppard AFB in Texas. DAF expects to procure approximately 350 T-7A aircraft from Boeing and deliver these aircraft to the five T-38C pilot training installations. Following AETC recommendations, the Secretary of the Air Force approved Vance AFB to be the fourth installation to undergo recapitalization.
Recapitalization will take place over an approximate 2-year period and will replace all T-38C aircraft assigned to Vance AFB with T-7A aircraft; transition aircraft operations at Vance AFB and associated special use airspace (SUA) from the T-38C to the T-7A; temporarily change number of personnel and dependents in the Vance AFB region; and construct and upgrade facilities to support pilot training and aircraft operation and maintenance.
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
The EIS analyzed three action alternatives (i.e., Alternatives 1, 2, and 3) and the No Action Alternative. The three action alternatives considered different numbers of T-7A aircraft and associated numbers of T-7A operations at Vance AFB and associated SUA. Under Alterative 1, which is described in detail in the FEIS (FEIS, Pgs. 2-1 to 2-8, Section 2.2.2.1), Vance AFB would receive up to 68 aircraft. For Alternative 2, fully described in the FEIS (FEIS, Pgs. 2-8 to 2-9, Section 2.2.2.2, Tables 2-6 and 2-7), Vance AFB would also receive up to 68 T-7A aircraft but with a higher number of operations than Alternative 1. The No Action Alternative serves as a baseline against which the impacts of the action alternatives are evaluated and is described in the FEIS (FEIS, Pg. 2-12, Section 2.3). The DAF has selected Alternative 3 for implementation which is described in detail below.
Alternative 3. Vance AFB will receive up to 99 T-7A aircraft with each aircraft to perform the same number of operations per aircraft as the current T-38C. The higher number of operations 1 RECORD OF DECISION ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT (EIS) T-7A RECAPITALIZATION AT VANCE AFB, OK associated with Alternative 3, compared to the other two action alternatives, is intended to provide DAF with operational flexibility.
T-7A aircraft are scheduled to be delivered to Vance AFB from the manufacturer beginning in 2032 and continuing through 2033. As T-7A aircraft are delivered and placed into service, T-38C aircraft will be withdrawn from service between 2032 and 2033.
In flight T-7A pilot training will occur in the vicinity of the Vance AFB airfield and within the same SUA currently used by the T-38C. That SUA consists of Military Operating Areas Vance 1A, Vance 1C, and Vance 1E and Military Training Routes Instrument Route (IR)-145, IR-171, IR-175, IR-181, and IR-185. No changes to SUA configurations (i.e., size, shape, or location) or their active times are proposed for T-7A recapitalization. The T-7A will be limited to sub-sonic speeds in all phases of pilot training.
Aircraft operations include evening and nighttime T-7A operations. Evening operations are performed from dusk until 10 p.m., and nighttime operations occur between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., as defined for aircraft noise modeling. The T-38C currently operates during both periods at Vance AFB.
An increase of approximately 100 personnel and 190 dependents (e.g., spouses, children, other family members), who would accompany the personnel, is projected during the aircraft transition period when DAF will train pilots with and maintain two types of aircraft. After the aircraft transition period, numbers of personnel and their dependents will be approximately the same as that for the current T-38C flight training program because of physical space limitations to support additional maintenance and training staff.
Several construction and renovation projects will provide modern facilities and infrastructure to support T 7A aircraft maintenance, training, and operational requirements. Construction and renovation are scheduled to begin in 2028 and 2029 and complete prior to the arrival of the first T-7A aircraft, scheduled for 2032. The proposed construction and renovation projects are as follows:
• Construct a new hush house pad.
• Replace shelters, construction of additional shelters, remove/repaint taxi lines, and install electrical for proper lighting and tie-down grounding points for each shelter.
• Construct an addition to the egress shop (Building 542).
• Install jet blast deflectors.
• Paint new markings to reconfigure the airfield and install new mooring and anchor rods to accommodate the T-7A's larger dimensions. Slightly move the compass rose and trim pad to accommodate the new hush house.
• Renovate interior of squadron operations buildings (Buildings 179, 183, 541, or 690).
• Modify hangar doors at Building 199.
• Provide an additional antenna-yard area near Building 199 to assist with sending signals between the facility and airfield.
• Remove Centralized Aircraft Support Systems (CASS) service modules. CASS lines will be cut, capped, and vaults will be filled with concrete.
• Construct a concrete pad and provide utilities for a storage container to store T-7A ejection system explosive components.
• Renovate interior of current Ground-Based Training System facility (Building 672) to accommodate T-7A training devices.
• Renovate interior of Building 199 to accommodate the proposed Unit Maintenance Trainer facility.
