What are Military Operation Areas (MOAs)? MOAs are a type of “Special Use Airspace” (SUA) designated for military training and maneuvers. The designation provides for a “segregation of uses of airspace” to alert other aircraft that military activity may be occurring, although as with Military Training Routes below, MOAs are open to other aircraft when […]

There are at least five military bases that utilize Military Operation Areas (MOAs) and/or Military Training Routes (MTRs) in the Gila region. Each of the bases has multiple units with military aircraft assigned there. Below is a general description of the activity and aircraft originating from each base. While Holloman is the base for which […]

Grant and Catron Counties were unaware of the Air Force’s proposal to expand its airspace over the Gila. Because the Air Force did not hold a public meeting in Silver City, the local communities that would be impacted by this proposal were left out of the formal NEPA scoping process. Once citizens found out about […]

Frequent low-altitude flights can disrupt the feeding and breeding habits of wildlife and livestock. Many of the health impacts to humans, including stress, will be felt by animals, too. Some of the most significant impacts from noise on wildlife are caused by chronic exposure. The timing of proposed flight training over the course of a […]

Military fighter training over the Gila Region will generate significant amounts of pollutant emissions and contaminant releases to the environment, potentially causing air quality, visibility, land and water quality problems. Military jets emit criteria air pollutants which are regulated by the US Environmental Protection Agency. The Gila Region is currently in attainment of all National […]

As part of defensive countermeasures system training, the F-16s may release 15,360 flares a year. There is an increased risk of wildfire from this practice. Three catastrophic wildfires have occurred over the past six years in the Gila National Forest and Gila and Aldo Leopold Wilderness Areas, burning nearly 500,000 acres, including the Whitewater-Baldy Complex […]

Chaff and flares are released by military aircraft to avoid detection by air defense systems and other aircraft. According to Holloman’s EIS information, up to 15,360 flares and 15,360 chaff bundles may be released in the MOA above 2,000 feet above ground level. Bundles of chaff contain up to five million aluminum-coated fibers that may […]

While we understand the economic significance of military base activity in some areas of New Mexico, the Air Force proposal for Holloman AFB would not bring economic gains to the Gila Region. On the contrary, this proposal could harm one of the area’s principal economic assets identified in Grant County’s current economic development plans: quality […]

Noise is a result of military fighter jet training. The F-16 can fly as fast as 1,550 miles per hour. At 1,000 feet above the ground, at 500 mph, the plane generates 114 decibels of sound pressure, roughly equivalent to someone shouting in your ear. Minimum cruising speed generates 89 decibels, above the level at […]

The US Air Force released its Draft Environmental Impact Statement for expansion of the Holloman Air Force Base F-16 training airspace. Although the Air Force states that its current airspace is adequate for the F-16 pilot training mission, Alternatives 2 and 3 would add 4.5 million acres of additional Special Use Airspace in southwest New […]