Billings, Mont. (AP) The U.S. Air Force says any given location across a sprawling area of the northern plains could see up to nine low-altitude overflights by military aircraft annually under a proposed bomber training area expansion.
Supersonic flights in the Powder River Bomber Training Area would be limited to no more than 10 days a year, during large scale exercises involving roughly 20 aircraft.
Details of the Air Force plans emerged Friday with the release of a 502-page environmental study of the proposal.
The Air Force wants to triple the size of the training area to roughly 28,000 square miles. That includes airspace over Montana, Wyoming and the Dakotas to be used by B-1 and B-52 bombers.
Montana officials have objected to the proposal, but it has support in the Dakotas.