Air National Guard will continue to train F-16 pilots here until at least 2020
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords today issued the following statement after the Air Force announced its decision about where it will base the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
According to the Air Force, Luke Air Force Base in Glendale is the preferred location to train pilots for the F-35 Lightning II. The 162nd Fighter Wing of the Arizona National Guard at Tucson International Airport was one of five locations that had been under consideration as a site for F-35 training.
The current mission of the 162nd is training foreign military pilots who fly the F-16 Fighting Falcon. The Air Force decided that mission would be harmed by adding F-35s to the unit over the next few years.
The 162nd has three flying squadrons and is the largest Air National Guard fighter wing in the country. Approximately 1,440 people work at the base – about 1,000 full-time employees with the rest Guardsmen. They recently were named the best Air Sovereignty Alert Base for 2009.
The wing has trained pilots from 23 of the 24 countries that fly the F-16 today.
Giffords’ statement:
Although the F-35 will not be coming to Tucson in the initial round of basing, I am encouraged that we have the Air Force’s assurance that the F-16 mission will endure for the next decade.
The Air Force felt that adding the F-35 to the inventory of the 162nd would mean removing some of the F-16s. I am pleased that the Air Force strongly supports the current mission of the 162nd and made today’s decision to strengthen that mission. This is a ringing endorsement of the quality of men and women who serve in the Guard here in Tucson and an affirmation of the great work they do, day-in and day-out.
There will be another round of F-35 basing decisions in 2014 and I am confident that Tucson again will be strongly considered – both at the 162nd and at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. I have been assured by the Air Force that all necessary environmental testing will be done over the next year to be prepared for this next round of basing decisions.
I continue to believe that Tucson is well-suited to host the F-35, this nation’s next generation fighter. The Air Force long has recognized the unequaled value of Arizona as a training location – with the Barry M. Goldwater Range and excellent flying weather for the vast majority of the year.
Arizona’s military operations are crucial to the state’s economy, creating and supporting tens of thousands of jobs and generating more than $9 billion in revenue.