Tyndall F-35 Wing

[wolfpak]

Interesting article. Wonder if these 3 squadrons are part of the expansion of the Air Force? Looks to be a work-around to the limit of 59 F-35's at Eglin due to the Environmental Impact Statement.

https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your ... rmanently/

[spazsinbad]

Another similar story perhaps with some extra detail?

22s Likely to Leave Tyndall For Good; Base Would Host New F-35 Squadrons
07 Dec 2018 John A. ​Tirpak​

"Tyndall AFB, Fla., which was largely destroyed by Hurricane Michael in October, would be repopulated with F-35s circa 2023 under a new plan floated Friday by the Air Force. The service wants to permanently move Tyndall’s operational F-22s to other Raptor bases while assessing which of those three installations would absorb the F-22 training mission. The Air Force is “recommending that Congress use supplemental funding for rebuilding the base to prepare to receive the F-35 fighter” at Tyndall, the service said in a press release....

...“We have recommended that the best path forward to increase readiness and use money wisely is to consolidate” the F-22 mission at other F-22 bases, and “make the decision now to put the next three squadrons of F-35s beyond those for which we have already made decision at Tyndall,” Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said. The Air Force is “talking with congressional leaders about this plan and will need their help with the supplemental funding needed to restore the base,” she said.

“We have been given a chance to use this current challenge as an opportunity to further improve our lethality and readiness in support of the National Defense Strategy,” Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein said in the statement. The service pledged to comply with all regulatory and planning processes necessary to make the basing changes. Those typically require public hearings and environmental impact statements.

As recently as November, Air Force officials were saying the F-22s would likely stay at Tyndall because of the availability of the training range over the Gulf of Mexico, allowing ample room for supersonic flights and student errors. However, an Air Force official said there are open-water ranges available at all three of the other Raptor operating locations.

The spokeswoman was unable to say whether the 12 F-22 simulators at Tyndall could be moved to another base. Tyndall boasts the largest number of F-22 simulators of all F-22 bases. The simulator facility, including its physical structure, is worth nearly $1 billion unto itself, and largely survived the hurricane."

Source: http://www.airforcemag.com/Features/Pag ... drons.aspx

[spazsinbad]

Air Force, industry meet to discuss rebuilding Tyndall
04 Feb 2019 J. Brian Garmon, Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center Public Affairs

"PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AFNS) -- Air Force representatives met with more than 450 industry professionals and community leaders Jan. 31 to begin a dialogue and partnership that will eventually lead to the rebuilding of Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, as an “installation of the future.”...

...John Henderson, assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations, environment and energy, Tyndall AFB and Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center leaders presented a state of the base overview, shared their initial rebuild strategy and encouraged industry attendees to partner with them for the unprecedented five-year and more than $3 billion reconstruction project.

The base includes nearly 1,200 facilities and 100 percent of them will need some level of repair, officials said. Long-term rebuild plans call for multi-use, smart facilities able to withstand severe weather, a more capable flightline to support F-35 operations by 2023 and future weapons platforms in the decades that follow, and walkable campus areas that provide consolidated one-stop-shop facilities for Airmen and their families....

...Col. Brian Laidlaw, 325th Fighter Wing commander, and Col. Scott Matthews, Tyndall Program Management Office director, provided a base overview, summarized installation damage from Hurricane Michael, and highlighted recovery efforts and facility assessments.

Matthews and Amy Vandeveer, Air Force Civil Engineer Center subject matter expert for installation planning, also provided insight into the road ahead for Tyndall AFB. “For several years, the Air Force has talked about what an installation of the future looks like from several perspectives: sustainable, smart, healthy and resilient,” Vandeveer said. “Tyndall provides a unique opportunity to make some bold moves and implement multiple strategies aligned with what we envision such an installation will look like.”..."

Source: https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display ... g-tyndall/

[wolfpak]

Great that they're moving forward. Wonder if the facilities will be better than those provided at Eglin for the initial F-35 bed-down? Got to assume one of these bases will become the training base when the PCA goes into service.

[spazsinbad]

Pence, Donovan Formally Announce F-35s Can Come to Tyndall
06 Aug 2019 Brian Everstine

"​Vice President Mike Pence and Acting Air Force Secretary Matt Donovan on Aug. 6 announced the Air Force completed a basing study that greenlights F-35s to operate from Tyndall AFB, Fla., beginning in 2023.

The service has said since last winter that the F-35s would fly from the base after F-22s left....

...Base officials are working on a plan to design a flexible installation that can welcome the F-35 as well as the MQ-9 and possibly other aircraft without major modifications."

Source: http://www.airforcemag.com/Features/Pag ... ndall.aspx

[XanderCrews]

Pence, Donovan Formally Announce F-35s Can Come to Tyndall
06 Aug 2019 Brian Everstine

"​Vice President Mike Pence and Acting Air Force Secretary Matt Donovan on Aug. 6 announced the Air Force completed a basing study that greenlights F-35s to operate from Tyndall AFB, Fla., beginning in 2023.

The service has said since last winter that the F-35s would fly from the base after F-22s left....

...Base officials are working on a plan to design a flexible installation that can welcome the F-35 as well as the MQ-9 and possibly other aircraft without major modifications."

Source: http://www.airforcemag.com/Features/Pag ... ndall.aspx

They keep "reconcentrating" the F-22s we lost ours here in NM years back so there would be fewer F-22 bases and cut down on redundancy

[sprstdlyscottsmn]

BRAC is unending

[Corsair1963]

I assume the F-22's are still moving to Langley Air Force Base???

[mixelflick]

Does anyone else think basing all of our F-22's so close to the coast(s) is a bad idea?

It would seem to put them at risk from SLBM/other attacks. It's unlikely, but so was 9/11 before 9/11...

[wrightwing]

Does anyone else think basing all of our F-22's so close to the coast(s) is a bad idea?

It would seem to put them at risk from SLBM/other attacks. It's unlikely, but so was 9/11 before 9/11...

The trade off is this. Without being near the coast, their ability to intercept threats, is greatly reduced/eliminated.

[XanderCrews]

Does anyone else think basing all of our F-22's so close to the coast(s) is a bad idea?

It would seem to put them at risk from SLBM/other attacks. It's unlikely, but so was 9/11 before 9/11...

The risk is basically same same I believe. Its not that Missouri isn't unreachable by SLBM. the difference is flight/ reaction time. DC gone in 3 minutes Missouri gone in 10 minutes I believe

[spazsinbad]

Tyndall Proposes New Construction Projects Amid 2019 Spending Sprint
14 Aug 2019 Rachel S. Cohen

"Officials at Tyndall AFB, Fla., on Aug. 5 sent Congress a list of projects the Air Force will tackle to rebuild the Panhandle base destroyed by Hurricane Michael last fall, the 325th Fighter Wing’s commander said Aug. 14....

...“What [the first F-35A arrival in fall 2023 is] going to do is drive a certain minimum number of military construction projects that we need to prioritize with the funding that we do get,” Laidlaw [wing’s commander Col. Brian Laidlaw] said.

The Air Force is studying the environmental impact of putting three F-35A squadrons at Tyndall as well as standing up a new MQ-9 wing on base. Tyndall will likely need between 1,200 and 1,800 additional personnel to staff both the F-35 and MQ-9 programs if they are formally approved. Laidlaw said future staffing levels are still under consideration but that bringing those two platforms to the base will grow it to be larger than it was before the hurricane.

Laidlaw expects base personnel won’t see much difference between operating the F-35 and its former occupant, the F-22, because both are fifth-generation fighter jets that will live at the base in large numbers.

After recently consulting with a range of stakeholders including AFWERX, one of the Air Force’s innovation-focused groups, the base plans to hold its third industry day on Sept. 12 in nearby Panama City to discuss reconstruction. “If it all works out … Tyndall won’t just be as good as it used to be, it’ll be bigger and better and more important than it was before the storm, and I think that’s a very positive development for the community,” Rubio [Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)] said."

Source: http://www.airforcemag.com/Features/Pag ... print.aspx

[mixelflick]

Does anyone else think basing all of our F-22's so close to the coast(s) is a bad idea?

It would seem to put them at risk from SLBM/other attacks. It's unlikely, but so was 9/11 before 9/11...

The trade off is this. Without being near the coast, their ability to intercept threats, is greatly reduced/eliminated.

Yeah well. I always thought escorting Bear's/Blackjack's was a waste of time for the F-22. You don't necessarily need a stealthy platform to do that, and it takes away from their air dominance mission. I dunno, it just seems like a job for our aging F-15C's, and possibly F-16's. The cost per flight hour on both is cheaper than the F-22, and it would keep prying eyes away from Raptor's secrets - at least one Mainstay AWACS aircraft has been seen shadowing them.

As a missile truck for bomber and cruise missile defense, it would seem the F-15 would fit the bill nicely. Doubly so, if they buy up-rated F-15EX's complete with a 12-14 AMRAAM loadout. I suppose the F-35 could do so too though, especially in "beast mode" air to air. I'd rather buy F-35's than F-15EX's, that's for sure

[Corsair1963]

Any word on the likely Wing for the F-35's at Tyndall AFB???

[spazsinbad]

Tyndall AFB selected to host three F-35 squadrons
29 Mar 2021 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs, 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

"TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla -- A Record of Decision was issued by the U.S. Air Force, making Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, the official location to host three new squadrons of the F-35A Lightning II. Air Force officials selected Tyndall based on numerous attributes, including infrastructure capability, quality of life for Airmen, and airspace. The selection process included a thorough environmental impact analysis, in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act.

The decision followed a 2018 proposal by the Air Force to base F-35s at Tyndall after extensive damage from Hurricane Michael prompted the base’s re-design to become the Department of Defense’s first Installation of the Future. This has allowed the Air Force to rebuild the base to accommodate the unique needs of the F-35A.

"Adding F-35 squadrons at Tyndall ensures Airmen will continue to have a strategic advantage as the 325th Fighter Wing enhances fighter training and combat readiness,” said Col. Greg Moseley, 325th FW commander.

The F-35s will be delivered to three fighter squadrons in multiple phases, with the first aircraft planned to arrive in September 2023. Each of the squadrons will have 24 Joint Strike Fighters assigned; totaling 72 aircraft assigned to Tyndall’s 325th Fighter Wing once full mission capability is achieved...."

Photo: "A F-22 Raptor from the 325th Fighter Wing flies alongside a F-35 Lightning II from the 33rd Fighter Wing over the Emerald Coast. The fifth generation fighter jets flew together in a rare dissimilar formation to salute healthcare workers, first responders and other essential employees May 15, 2020. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt Savanah Bray)" https://media.defense.gov/2021/Mar/29/2 ... 6-0296.JPG (1.2Mb)

Source: https://www.tyndall.af.mil/News/Article ... squadrons/