F-22 Plus-Up Environmental Assessment - Joint Base Elmendorf ...

F-22 Plus-Up Environmental Assessment
2.0 Description of the Proposed Action and Alternatives
and transient aircraft except in the case of national emergencies, major flying exercises, runway
or taxiway maintenance, or limited programs to evaluate alternative flight operations. Other
than in these cases, F-22 launches, existing and projected with the plus-up, would be
approximately 25 percent on Runway 34 (northbound crosswind) and no launches would be
expected to occur on Runway 16 (southbound crosswind). Figure 2.1-1 identifies the runways.
F-22 landings would continue to occur almost exclusively on Runway 06/24. C-17 flight
operations will continue to use primarily Runway 06/24 with limited use of Runway 16/34.
Many of the C-17 approaches to Runway 16 are not followed by a departure from Runway 16 to
complete a standard closed pattern. Rather, these approaches are often followed by a departure
from Runway 06/24 and then maneuvering for another approach to Runway 16.
Table 2.1-1. Baseline and Proposed Primary Aircraft Assigned
to JBER-Elmendorf
Aircraft Type
Number Assigned
Baseline
Proposed
F-22 36 42
C-17 8 8
C-130 16 16
C-12 2 2
E-3A 2 2
JBER-Elmendorf also supports a range of transient users. On an annual basis, the installation has
supported the levels of aviation operations shown in Table 2.1-2. An operation can be a take-off
or departure, a landing or arrival, or a touch-and-go within a closed pattern around the airfield.
Table 2.1-2. JBER-Elmendorf Airfield Annual Operations
Fiscal Year (FY) Number of Operations
2005 41,340
2006 59,567
2007 42,346
2008 40,354
2009 44,561
2010 47,315
Operations conducted in recent years have been affected
by many factors, including beddown of C-17 and C-130
aircraft, drawdown of F-15C aircraft, and frequent
deployment of assigned units overseas. While annual
traffic has been highly variable, annual operations
conducted in fiscal years (FYs) 2009 and 2010 provide an
approximation of the installation’s expected annual
demand.
2.1.2 JBER-Elmendorf Facilities
JBER existing weather shelters, Hangar 15, and
other facilities provide adequate space for the F-22
plus-up without the need for new buildings.
Facilities constructed for the initial F-22 operational wing beddown (Figure 2.1-1) would be able
to accommodate the proposed additional six primary and one backup F-22 aircraft. Thus, no
new construction would be necessary.
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