Davis-Monthan expecting new mission to replace the A-10

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — KGUN 9’s work to cover neighborhood news includes the unique neighborhood of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (DM). You will be seeing different aircraft there, as the base evolves away from its main role as a base for the A-10 and into its new mission as a Special Operations Wing.

The base means a lot to the local economy and the good news there is the base population is expected to actually grow from the new mission with more people and their families.

Craig Smith and Pat Parris were live from Davis-Monthan. Watch:

For nearly 50 years the A-10 has been the symbol of Davis-Monthan, lovingly called the warthog for its ugly looks but beautiful abilities to punish bad guys and protect troops on the ground.

But DM and Tucson have grown up together for nearly the last hundred years.

“I like to say that there's really no difference between Tucson and Davis-Monthan and I mean, I think that that Davis-Monthan is Tucson and Tucson is Davis-Monthan.”

Jay Bickley is a retired Air Force Colonel. He served at DM and serves now as President of DM50, an organization that works to keep DM an active part of Tucson life.

Southern Arizona leaders worried for years that when the Air Force retired the A-10, DM’s impact would shrink from the 16,000 jobs and $2.6 Billion it adds to the regional economy now.

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But the Air Force says in its proposed new role in Special Operations, DM will have more people than it did as an A-10 base—about 1300 more military personnel and about 1300 additional dependents.

As the Air Force retires the A-10 you’ll look up and see different aircraft: Like Sky Warden, based on a crop duster but able to take on some of the A-10 role of close air support—and do it from rough, remote areas.

And the MC-130J–based on the C-130 cargo plane but optimized to fly low, and at night to deliver Special Operations Troops and supplies to challenging mission sites.

DM will be a training ground for some of those troops to keep them sharp for missions where they may be in small groups in close-in fights, or on the ground gathering intelligence to direct air power.

Whoever makes their home at the base often finds a second home at Mama Louisa’s on Craycroft. Suzy Elefante says it opened just short of 70 years ago. Her family has been welcoming base families since they bought the restaurant 51 years ago.

“You see things change, but people come and go, and then you see people come back years later and they say, 'Oh, I was an airman at Davis-Monthan and we used to eat here all the time, and I wanted to come back and try it'.”

Jay Bickley says that feeling of community support is important when an active duty airman gets deployed somewhere far away but the family stays here.