Arizona’s leaders are celebrating the announcement by the Air Force that Luke Air Force base will get three fighter squadrons, a total of 72 aircraft, in the coming years. The F-35 program will bring 1,000 jobs to the region with the addition of 72 new jets and nearly 3,000 more construction jobs to renovate and expand Luke.
Arizona Senators John McCain and Jon Kyl said in a released statement that it was a “proud day for the state of Arizona. We welcome the secretary of Air Force’s commitment that, in addition to the three F-35 training squadrons, the Air Force will maintain both U.S. and foreign F-16 pilot training at Luke AFB through 2023.”
Glendale officials fought hard for the fighter. “The goal of our statewide initiative was to send a clear message to the decision makers in Washington D.C. that Arizona strongly supports Luke Air Force Base continuing to serve as our nation’s premier fighter pilot training facility,” said Glendale Mayor Elaine Scruggs, co-chair of the Luke Forward campaign.
“Arizona’s military industry is one of the largest industries in our state, and Luke serves as the anchor. This new F-35 training mission will bring with it decades of tremendous military value to our national security and sustainable economic benefits to our region and state. I want to thank and recognize all the elected officials and citizens of the West Valley cities and Maricopa County for standing firm in their unwavering support of Luke Air Force Base all the way through to the end of the F-35 basing
The Luke Forward campaign was developed by the West Valley Partners and Fighter Country Partnership to generate awareness and support of the positive impacts the Air Force’s next generation strike fighter will bring to the state. The partners include the cities of Avondale, Buckeye, El Mirage, Gila Bend, Glendale, Goodyear, Litchfield Park, Peoria, Phoenix, Surprise, Tolleson, Wickenburg and Youngtown, as well as Maricopa County.
Fighter Country Partnership Chairman Charley Freericks, who co-chaired the campaign with Scruggs, believes the widespread community support garnered for the F-35 by Luke Forward elevated Arizona from states in other parts of the country where the Air Force was considering placing the F-35.
“Through Luke Forward, we were able to engage nearly 10,000 residents to attend public hearings, send emails or phone Air Force representatives in support of Luke and to get 21,000 citizens from throughout the state to register their support of the F-35 at LukeForward.com,” said Freericks. “This tremendous support, from state and local officials, business partners, homeowners associations, residents, retirees and others, really made us stand out among the competition.”
The Air Force will initially place three squadrons, totaling 72 F-35s, at Luke AFB starting as early as next year to replace two of Luke’s F-16 squadrons allocated for Air Force training – keeping Luke’s ramps full, along with the 26 F-16s at Luke dedicated for foreign military training. The new F-35s will most likely arrive at Luke AFB in phases over the next couple years.
Today’s decision ensures Luke’s 56th Fighter Wing will now be the Air Force’s F-35 pilot training site, or “school house,” as well as continuing F-16 training for fighter pilots in the foreseeable future. The Air Force may station up to six F-35 squadrons totaling 144 aircraft at the Glendale base as F-16s are retired.
In addition to ensuring the long-term viability of Luke AFB, the F-35 training mission will also serve as an economic stimulus for the Valley’s beleaguered construction industry as the new fighter will require construction projects, facility improvements, infrastructure upgrades and other maintenance and repairs.
As a result, Luke can anticipate receiving an infusion of $100-$125 million within months from the federal government to pay for these construction-related projects. Much of this federal investment will positively impact the regional and state economies with local labor and suppliers of construction material. Nearly 3,000 construction jobs are estimated to be created in preparation of the F-35’s arrival.
The West Valley cities says they remain committed to continuing their support and advocacy to ensure that Luke AFB maintains its status as the preferred location to receive additional F-35 squadrons in the next Air Force basing decision scheduled for December 2014.
The Air Force specifically noted in its Record of Decision that potential noise impacts at Luke AFB are uniquely well suited to be managed due to proactive land-use regulations and mandatory noise attenuation requirements adopted by the state of Arizona and the West Valley communities around Luke.
The F-35 is part of the Department of Defense’s Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program, which is a multi-national program among the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and nine partner countries. The JSF Program has developed three versions of the cutting-edge, fifth-generation strike fighter, officially named the F-35 Lightning II, to meet the operational needs of the different military branches and international partners.
The Air Force’s version of the strike fighter is the F-35A, which is the conventional take-off-and-landing model. The F-35A, which will eventually replace the military branch’s F-16 and A-10 aircraft, is intended to be the Air Force’s premier fighter through the first half of the 21st century.
Phoenix City Councilwoman Thelda Williams, who serves on the Luke West Valley Council, was a leader in advocating for the F-35 mission to come to Phoenix. “I am proud beyond measure to have been a part of this mission, to continue Luke’s 70-plus year legacy of training top notch pilots to defend our nation,” Williams said.
“This contract will keep the Luke tradition alive for years to come, creating jobs and pumping millions of dollars into our economy each year.”Luke was one of four sites in the running – with Tucson, New Mexico and Idaho – to be home to pilot training for the F-35, a fifth-generation fighter expected to be the Air Force’s “premier strike aircraft through the first half of the 21st century,” continued Williams.
According to Cronkite News, “Tucson officials said they were not surprised by the announcement.” “The Democrat-controlled City of Tucson and Pima County governments put forth a half-hearted effort to win the planes and the resulting jobs,” said a small Tucson business owner. “Our area has been slow to recover from the recession, while the business friendly Phoenix area is quickly recovering.”