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The future for the airmen of the Montana Air National Guard has been uncertain for some time, but now the Air Force has identified Great Falls as the location for a C-130 cargo planes mission, giving state leaders, community members, and our airmen some piece of mind.

A press conference was held at Great Falls International Airport on Friday morning to make the announcement.

Major Tim Crowe, spokesman for the MT ANG, said, "This is welcome news for the Montana Air National Guard - having some solid answers on our future is always nice to have."

The airlift mission is expected to retain the same number of jobs as the F-15s once the transition is made, but it will be a significant change for the 120th Fighter Wing.

U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) noted, "They're different than the F15s, but it's still a transition that can be made not only for the physical structure that are up here at the airport but also for the people who work in the Montana Air National Guard."

Major Crowe said, "They'll have to go to school, they'll be retrained to the specifics of the C-130 mission, just like they were when they transitioned from the F-16 to the F-15 a few years ago."

Unlike the F-15 mission, which was secured for the short term, the C-130s have the potential to stay under the Big Sky for years to come.

David Weissman, chair of the Central Montana Defense Alliance, said, "This particular mission, I know, has always been needed and will be continued to be needed because transportation of troops and equipment will never go away as long as there is a military."

The cargo planes are predicted to arrive in the Treasure State as early as 2014, roughly six months after the last F-15s are scheduled to depart.

U.S. Representative Denny Rehberg (R-MT) supports bringing the C-130 mission to Great Falls, but he's not giving up on the F-15's.

He feels Montana should have both missions and said, "MANG has done amazing work with the F-15s and there's no justification for the money and infrastructure that will be wasted sending them to Fresno. I'm going to fight to keep those in Montana where they belong. And let's take the C-130s too. We've earned them, and our track record speaks for itself."

Citizens for Montana's Military, a group headed by MT State Senator Ed Buttrey (R-Great Falls) also welcomes the C-130 mission.

Like Representative Rehberg, Buttrey says his organization would like to see the F-15s stay in Montana; Buttrey questions whether or not Montana will maintain the existing Hays Military Operations Area, which covers much of the eastern half of the state.

Buttrey says the area is ideal for supersonic aircraft like fighter jets, and he says if we lose it, we will never get that airspace or a fighter mission back.

He also feels taxpayers need to know if their money is being used wisely, and floated the possibility of basing the C-130s at Malmstrom Air Force Base, which hasn't had an active airplane mission in more than a decade.

Buttrey said, "There's a pretty large expense to move the F-15 mission. There's a large expense to build up for the C-130 mission. Let's make sure that it doesn't make more sense to reopen the runway at Malmstrom where they already handle aircraft."

Senator Buttrey says the C-130 mission will be much better for Great Falls than the C-27 mission that was previously scheduled to replace the F-15's.