U.S. Air Force officials have selected Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Forth Worth, Texas as the preferred location for the service branch’s first Air Force Reserve-led base for the Lockheed Martin F-35A fighter jet
Lockheed Martin said Thursday the service branch will provide the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas its first F-35A units in the mid-2020s.
The Air Force will also consider Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Homestead Air Reserve Base and Whiteman Air Force Base as potential alternatives for the environmental analysis process which will be completed prior to the service branch’s final basing decision.
“We selected the Air Force Reserve unit in Fort Worth because it is the location that meets all of the necessary training requirements at the lowest cost,” said Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James.
“Additionally, the location will provide mission synergy and access to an experienced workforce for recruiting as a result of its proximity to the F-35 manufacturing plant.”
Lockheed noted that the Air Force will also conduct on-the-ground site surveys at candidate locations for the next two Air National Guard-led F-35 bases to evaluate the bases’ capacity to meet operational requirements, potential impacts to existing missions, infrastructure and manpower for the F-35A aircraft.
The Air Force will selected preferred and alternatives for the ANG bases in the summer of 2017 and F-35A units will be deployed at the second and third ANG locations within the mid-2020s.
Dannelly Field Air Guard Station, Gowen Field Air Guard Station, Jacksonville Air Guard Station, Selfridge Air National Guard Base and Truax Air Guard Station are among the candidates for the next two ANG locations.
