Air Force announces Guard locations for F-35A, F-15EX

F-35 unit & base selection, delivery, activation
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by outlaw162 » 19 Aug 2020, 20:46

As I recall the second seat was vacant for future use when biggaBettaFings


What can they possibly think they'll come up with....R2D2 or a portly, highly intelligent WSO? (another oxymoron?)

One possible alternative would be a fuel tank. :mrgreen: You don't have to check six while running down a hijacked airliner or drug runner....

I would think these would be continental air defense/air sovereignty aircraft, unlikely to be expeditionary....unlike the F-35.

edit: We'll see if there is any air-to-ground in the Klamath syllabus.


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by mixelflick » 20 Aug 2020, 11:49

Corsair1963 wrote:Westfield Barnes Air National Guard unit eyed as possible F-35 Joint Strike Fighter base




shares


By Cynthia G. Simison | csimison@repub.com

The Air National Guard’s 104th Fighter Wing at Barnes Regional Airport is again in the running for upgrade to a squadron of F-35A Joint Strike Fighter aircraft.

The Guard base, now home to a fleet of F-15 Eagles that serve as the primary air defense unit for the Northeast, will undergo an “on-the-ground site survey” by the Air Force to determine if the 104th meets the operational requirements needed for the new aircraft. The survey will also assess potential impacts, infrastructure and manpower needs, the Air Force announced................

https://www.masslive.com/news/2020/08/w ... _xHskcahaM


Wow, many thanks for this...

A-10's flew from Barnes and graced this place for almost 30 years. Doubly so given a few miles south another unit at Bradley Field in CT flew A-10's too. I live approximately halfway between both, so it was A-10's everywhere you looked while I was growing up. We also have Westover AFRB in MA, just a few miles from Barnes. They've started flying C-5A's in1988, and if I'm not mistaken are now flying C-5M's. Their new engines are a lot quieter, I can tell you that! Westover also has the longest runway in the Northeast, and at one time was an alternate space shuttle landing site. What comes after the C-5M then, will be intersting. Hopefully another large airframe, perhaps even... the B-21?

When Barnes got its F-15's in 2007, it was a dream come true. However, new F-35's or F-15EX's will top even that. I'm perplexed though, why they're even looking at the F-35. Flying homeland security missions seems to be a waste of its best capabilities, unless of course the units mission changes too.

In any case, sounds like we'll be getting either the F-35A or the F-15EX. Not a bad place to be... :)


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by mixelflick » 20 Aug 2020, 12:00

outlaw162 wrote:
As I recall the second seat was vacant for future use when biggaBettaFings


What can they possibly think they'll come up with....R2D2 or a portly, highly intelligent WSO? (another oxymoron?)

One possible alternative would be a fuel tank. :mrgreen: You don't have to check six while running down a hijacked airliner or drug runner....

I would think these would be continental air defense/air sovereignty aircraft, unlikely to be expeditionary....unlike the F-35.

edit: We'll see if there is any air-to-ground in the Klamath syllabus.


The 2 seat model is currently what's in production for Quatar, so that's what they're buying. Qualifying a single seat F-15CX (or what they were calling the CX) would take additional time. Fuel tank back there was my guess too, as it would be nice to get some fuel back and/or carry more than the F-15C's "stock" 13,500 internal. I'm not sure how much they could squeeze in there, but anything would probably be welcomed.

If I were Boeing, I'd make it "modular"... just in case a GIB is needed. You know, to control/fire/guide that "hypothetical" 7,000lb hypersonic weapon Boeing let "slip"... :)


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by wolfpak » 20 Aug 2020, 16:54

Floating the idea of a move from Fresno to Lemoore and the on site survey at Barnes ties neatly into the rumblings I've heard for the last several years of a post 2021 BRAC. If you're unit is in a facility leased from a municipality or airport authority and or has no environmental hazards that require clean-up you'll be on the bubble for closure. Actually think fighter units will do better than airlift. Don't know about tankers. Security requirements for the F-35 may be the other reason for the proposed move.

As for the F-15EX with 144 aircraft being procured and a nominal squadron size of 24 aircraft that gives you just 6 units or 8 with 18 jets. So with two in Oregon, one at Barnes that leaves you with 3 for the two units at Kadena and one at Lakenheath. New Orleans, Fresno and Jacksonville I guess would get F-35's. Of course this is just speculation on my part. I can't see the AF letting the F-15EX ruin the chances of upgrading active duty units to the NGAD as soon as practical.


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by mixelflick » 21 Aug 2020, 17:48

wolfpak wrote:Floating the idea of a move from Fresno to Lemoore and the on site survey at Barnes ties neatly into the rumblings I've heard for the last several years of a post 2021 BRAC. If you're unit is in a facility leased from a municipality or airport authority and or has no environmental hazards that require clean-up you'll be on the bubble for closure. Actually think fighter units will do better than airlift. Don't know about tankers. Security requirements for the F-35 may be the other reason for the proposed move.

As for the F-15EX with 144 aircraft being procured and a nominal squadron size of 24 aircraft that gives you just 6 units or 8 with 18 jets. So with two in Oregon, one at Barnes that leaves you with 3 for the two units at Kadena and one at Lakenheath. New Orleans, Fresno and Jacksonville I guess would get F-35's. Of course this is just speculation on my part. I can't see the AF letting the F-15EX ruin the chances of upgrading active duty units to the NGAD as soon as practical.


Can't quite follow what you're saying about rumblings/BRAC.... are you saying Barnes is at risk for closure?


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by wolfpak » 21 Aug 2020, 20:20

From what I heard they are studying the reserve component bases to determine both the positive and negative attributes of each one. Once it's done for all the bases they will rank them and determine which ones should be closed. Probably will look at encroachment, airspace requirements, ability to recruit, etc.. No way of knowing where Barnes is in that.


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by mixelflick » 24 Aug 2020, 17:25

wolfpak wrote:From what I heard they are studying the reserve component bases to determine both the positive and negative attributes of each one. Once it's done for all the bases they will rank them and determine which ones should be closed. Probably will look at encroachment, airspace requirements, ability to recruit, etc.. No way of knowing where Barnes is in that.


I often wondered why they operate out of Barnes, when a few towns away is Westover AFRB. A runway more than 11,000 feet long, it's the longest in all of New England. If memory serves, it was an alternate (emergency) space shuttle landing site. The base itself is massive, a former SAC base and plenty of additional capacity. By land area, it might be the largest Air Force Base in the country. They used to fly 16 C-5A's out of there, but I think it's down to just 8 C-5M's now.

Why Barnes' 18 F-15's don't operate out of there, I have no idea. There must be something...


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by Corsair1963 » 25 Aug 2020, 00:54

mixelflick wrote:
wolfpak wrote:From what I heard they are studying the reserve component bases to determine both the positive and negative attributes of each one. Once it's done for all the bases they will rank them and determine which ones should be closed. Probably will look at encroachment, airspace requirements, ability to recruit, etc.. No way of knowing where Barnes is in that.


I often wondered why they operate out of Barnes, when a few towns away is Westover AFRB. A runway more than 11,000 feet long, it's the longest in all of New England. If memory serves, it was an alternate (emergency) space shuttle landing site. The base itself is massive, a former SAC base and plenty of additional capacity. By land area, it might be the largest Air Force Base in the country. They used to fly 16 C-5A's out of there, but I think it's down to just 8 C-5M's now.

Why Barnes' 18 F-15's don't operate out of there, I have no idea. There must be something...



Likely, politics.....


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by Corsair1963 » 25 Aug 2020, 00:57

wolfpak wrote:Floating the idea of a move from Fresno to Lemoore and the on site survey at Barnes ties neatly into the rumblings I've heard for the last several years of a post 2021 BRAC. If you're unit is in a facility leased from a municipality or airport authority and or has no environmental hazards that require clean-up you'll be on the bubble for closure. Actually think fighter units will do better than airlift. Don't know about tankers. Security requirements for the F-35 may be the other reason for the proposed move.

As for the F-15EX with 144 aircraft being procured and a nominal squadron size of 24 aircraft that gives you just 6 units or 8 with 18 jets. So with two in Oregon, one at Barnes that leaves you with 3 for the two units at Kadena and one at Lakenheath. New Orleans, Fresno and Jacksonville I guess would get F-35's. Of course this is just speculation on my part. I can't see the AF letting the F-15EX ruin the chances of upgrading active duty units to the NGAD as soon as practical.


I have my doubts that Lakenheath and Kadena will get the F-15EX. Especially, with some ANG Units already getting the F-35A.


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by doge » 02 Dec 2020, 17:59

Other Articles. 8)
The successor to the F-15C is... the F-35 !!!! :doh: :roll:
https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/202 ... ksonville/
Air Force announces F-35s are finally coming to Jacksonville
August 14, 2020 Steve Patrick, Digital Managing Editor, Jacksonville Kent Justice, Anchor/reporter
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The U.S. Air Force on Friday announced Friday it has awarded the Air National Guard base in Jacksonville with the next round of new jet fighters to replace its fleet of aging F-15Cs. An airbase in Portland, Oregon, also was awarded the new aircraft.
The first F-35s are expected to begin arriving in Jacksonville in 2024.
FANG and area politicians, including Jacksonville U.S. Rep. John Rutherford (R-Jacksonville), Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and state Sen. Audrey Gibson (D-Jacksonville), had lobbied the Air Force for Jacksonville to be among the first airbases to receive the F-35s but missed out on the first round of locations for the latest generation of strike fighters.
Rep. John Rutherford (R-Florida) has been an advocate to the Department of Defense through three cycles of selections.

“I think the fact that Jacksonville has such a good reputation for supporting our military airmen and others that I think that’s a big reason as well,” Rutherford said. “[JAX] and the city of Jacksonville have done a fantastic job in maintaining that buffer around [JAX] where FANG is located, and that’s important for these jets as well.”
RELATED: Take an in-depth look at next-generation fighter jets in the Navy
The Air Force will conduct on-the-ground site surveys at both bases to assess operational requirements, potential impacts to existing missions, infrastructure and manpower, and costs before deciding which aircraft will replace the F-15C mission.
The Air Force also plans to replace the remaining Air National Guard operational F-15C/D bases (in Massachusetts, California and Lousiana) with either F-35As or F-15EXs.
“The Air National Guard has consistently stepped up to meet the challenges of countless national contingencies over recent years,” Maj Gen Mike Loh, director of the Air National Guard, said in a statement. “Transitioning to these new weapon systems will maintain our effectiveness as a member of the total air Force into the future.”

https://www.masslive.com/news/2020/08/w ... -base.html
Westfield Barnes Air National Guard unit eyed as possible F-35 Joint Strike Fighter base
By Cynthia G. Simison Posted Aug 2020
The Air National Guard’s 104th Fighter Wing at Barnes Regional Airport is again in the running for upgrade to a squadron of F-35A Joint Strike Fighter aircraft.
The Guard base, now home to a fleet of F-15 Eagles that serve as the primary air defense unit for the Northeast, will undergo an “on-the-ground site survey” by the Air Force to determine if the 104th meets the operational requirements needed for the new aircraft. The survey will also assess potential impacts, infrastructure and manpower needs, the Air Force announced.
The F-35 Joint Strike fighters, costing the Department of Defense close to $400 billion, are the most expensive weapons system in military history.
Barnes must also undergo a required environmental impact analysis process before the Air Force makes a final decision.
The 104th underwent a similar evaluation effort four years ago, at which time, the Air Force decided to assign the F-35s to the Vermont National Guard in Burlington and to National Guard units in Alabama and Wisconsin as well as an Air Reserve unit in Fort Worth, Texas.
The evaluation could also result in the 104th being put in line to receive an updated model of the F-15, known as the F-15EX, the first of which will be put into operation in 2023 at the Air National Guard base in Portland, Oregon.
The Air Force fleet of F-15s is aging and “expected to run out of service life by the mid-2020s,” according to a press release issued yesterday from the Pentagon.
“The Air National Guard has consistently stepped up to meet the challenges of countless national contingencies over recent years,” said Maj. Gen. Mike Loh, director of the Air National Guard. “Transitioning to these new weapon systems will maintain our effectiveness as a member of the Total Air Force into the future.”
National Guard bases in Florida and Oregon were named the next units to receive upgraded aircraft. The Jacksonville, Florida, base will begin receiving the F-35 aircraft in 2024, while the Portland base will be the first squadron to operate the F-15EX by 2023.
Other bases under review for either F-35s or the F-15EX models include Fresno Yosemite Airport in California and Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans. Naval Air Station Lemoore, also in California, is also being considered for F-35As.
Currently, four active duty units at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, Royal Air Force Lakenheath in England, Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska and Tyndall Air Force Base in Floriday have been identified to host the F-35A.
The 104th had been on the radar for possible siting for both the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the F-22 Raptor fighter back in 2008 when the new generation of Air Force aircraft were still in development. Barnes was then listed in the “Air Force Roadmap: The Vision for the Future” document that set out a long-term plan for planes and strategies.
The Guard unit last changed aircraft in 2007 when it completed its conversion to the F-15s. That conversion, which moved the F-15s west from Otis Air Guard Base on Cape Cod, was ordered by the federal Base Realignment and Closure Commission in 2005.
Before that, the 104th had a 30-year history of flying the A-10 Thunderbolt II attack jet, an aircraft which is used for close-air support mission to ground troops in combat. The A-10s were transferred to bases across the country and have continued to be held in high regard for their use in combat.

https://www.wwlp.com/news/local-news/ha ... rnes-angb/
Air Force plans to replace F-15C/D at Barnes ANGB
by: Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs Posted: Aug 17, 2020
WASHINGTON (AFNS) – The Air Force plans to replace the Air National Guard’s aging F-15C Eagles in Florida and Oregon with the service’s newest air superiority aircraft.
Jacksonville Air National Guard Base, Florida, will begin receiving F-35 Lightning IIs in 2024; Kingsley Field, Oregon, will host the Air Force’s first F-15EX formal training mission beginning in 2022; and the unit at Portland Air National Guard Base will become the first operational F-15EX squadron in 2023.
The Air Force’s F-15Cs are aging and expected to run out of service life by the mid-2020s.
The Air Force also plans to replace the remaining Air National Guard operational F-15C/D bases (Barnes Airport, Massachusetts, Fresno Yosemite Airport, California, and Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans) with either F-35As or F-15EXs. Naval Air Station Lemoore, California, is also being considered for F-35As.
“The Air National Guard has consistently stepped up to meet the challenges of countless national contingencies over recent years,” said Lt. Gen. Mike Loh, Air National Guard director. “Transitioning to these new weapon systems will maintain our effectiveness as a member of the Total Air Force into the future.”
The Air Force will now conduct on-the-ground site surveys at each of these locations to assess operational requirements, potential impacts to existing missions, infrastructure and manpower, and costs before deciding which aircraft will replace the F-15C mission.
The Air Force will complete the required Environmental Impact Analysis Process before making a final decision.
Currently, four active duty operational locations — Hill Air Force Base, Utah; RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom; Eielson AFB, Alaska; and Tyndall AFB, Florida — have been identified to host the F-35A.
Additionally, three Air National Guard locations — Burlington ANGB, Vermont; Dannelly Field, Alabama; and Truax Field, Wisconsin; and one Air Force Reserve location – Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas — have been identified as F-35 locations.


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by Corsair1963 » 24 Dec 2020, 06:56

F-16V to test counter Cruise Missile Defense role

The U.S. Air Force has been busy testing the new M7.3 update for the F-16 and will later the role of counter Cruise Missile Defense using jets equipped with the new AN/APG-83 AESA radar.


http://alert5.com/2020/12/24/f-16v-to-t ... more-86117


https://www.afrc.af.mil/News/Article-Di ... e-of-f-16/


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by doge » 04 Jun 2021, 16:58

The replacement for the F-15C is... the F-35 !! :doh: (Oh my God)
https://www.masslive.com/news/2021/05/g ... -base.html
Gov. Charlie Baker meets at Pentagon with Air Force brass as Westfield works to get F-35 fighter jets at Barnes Air National Guard Base
By Jim Kinney |Posted May 14, 2021
WASHINGTON — Gov. Charlie Baker met Friday at the Pentagon with the Air Force’s top civilians and uniformed leadership as Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield stays in the running to host the latest F-35A fighters jets.
Baker’s public schedule included a meeting with Jennifer L. Miller, acting assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations, environment and energy, followed by a separate meeting with both acting secretary of the Air Force John P. Roth and Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., chief of staff of the Air Force.
Baker also had his annual sit-down with the state’s congressional delegation, hosted by U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield. Neal said last week that he planned for an east-west passenger rail route linking Springfield and Boston to be a topic at that conversation in the Capitol.
The governor also planned to meet with members of the Massachusetts National Guard deployed in Washington following the Jan. 6 riots.
But it’s the Air Force meetings that give a window into the administration’s efforts on behalf of Westfield and Barnes.

Brown is the senior uniformed Air Force officer responsible for the organization, training and equipping of 689,000 active-duty, National Guard, Reserve and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas.
The Air Force has said it will replace the current F-15 fighters at Barnes, home of the Air National Guard’s 104th Fighter Wing, and at other bases — Fresno Yosemite Airport in California and Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans — with either F-15EX planes or, preferably, the F-35As.
It matters for Westfield and the region whether Barnes gets the upgraded F-15EX fighters or the more modern F-35As, said Westfield Mayor Donald F. Humason Jr. The F-15 platform is getting old, he said, while the future is the F-35. Getting them here could secure the base’s future for decades.
“What would be better for us and the region (that) if what was going on at the 104th was cutting edge, as futuristic as possible?” Humason said. “If you are not moving forward and advancing, you are standing still.”
Humason said one of the criteria the Air Force will look at is if the bases are in welcoming communities. Fighter jets have caused pushback in some communities, including Burlington, Vermont.

From June 21-25, there will be a site survey at Barnes as part of the base selection process, said state Sen. Jon C. Velis. He said he expects a decision in the fall.
The process was delayed both by COVID-19 and by the transition from the Trump administration to the Biden administration.
Besides being a state senator and former state representative, Velis is on the Massachusetts Military Asset and Security Strategy Task Force and is a major in the Army Reserve.
At Barnes, the airport and its tenants — military and civilian — have a $138.5 million payroll and total economic impact of $236 million a year, according to the city’s airport authority. The airport is responsible directly or indirectly for 2,100 jobs.
The 104th Fighter Wing is tasked with providing armed fighters ready to scramble over the Northeast in response to any airborne threat. The unit is responsible for protecting a quarter of the nation’s population and over one-third of its gross domestic product.
Westfield mayor Don Humason speaks at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the reopening of Runway 15-33 in August. He said the city supports efforts to get the F-35 jets.


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by doge » 04 Jun 2021, 17:01

5 out of 6 ANG F-15C/D users are clamoring for the F-35A, not the F-15EX !? :shock: (What!?) :doh:
https://www.defensedaily.com/u-s-air-fo ... air-force/
U.S. Air Force Could Lose Two Squadrons of F-15C/Ds in Fiscal 2022
By Frank Wolfe |06/01/2021
The U.S. Air Force would lose two squadrons of Boeing [BA] F-15C/D air superiority fighters if Congress enacts the service’s fiscal 2022 budget plan.
The Air Force plans to reduce its F-15C/Ds by 48 next fiscal year from 234 to 186. The latter is the same number of Lockheed Martin [LMT] F-22 stealth fighters that the service has.
The Air Force request could face particularly strong congressional headwinds, given that one of two possible replacements for the F-15C/D, the Boeing F-15EX, is not rolling off the production line in sufficient numbers to take up the slack. By the end of fiscal 2022, the Air Force budget says that it will have, as now, just two F-15EXs in service. The F-15EXs are in testing at Eglin AFB, Fla.
Plans had called for Oregon’s 173rd Fighter Wing, home of the Air Force’s F-15 schoolhouse, to be the first to convert to the F-15EX next year, while the 142nd Fighter Wing at Portland (Ore.) Air National Guard (ANG) Base would become the first operational F-15EX unit in 2023.
ANG F-15C/Ds are in Oregon, California, Louisiana, Massachusetts, and Florida.

Beside test and evaluation and weapons school squadrons, the Air Force has three active F-15C/D squadrons and six ANG squadrons. The active F-15C/D squadrons are the 44th and 67th Fighter Squadrons with the 18th Wing at Kadena Air Base, Japan and the 493rd Fighter Squadron with the 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom. The ANG F-15C/D squadrons are the 104th Fighter Wing’s 131st Fighter Squadron at Barnes ANG Base, Mass.; the 125th Fighter Wing’s 159th Fighter Squadron at Jacksonville International Airport, Fla.; the 173rd Fighter Wing’s 114th Fighter Squadron at Kingsley ANG Base, Ore.; the 142nd Fighter Wing’s 123rd Fighter Squadron at Portland International Airport, Ore.; the 144th Fighter Wing’s 194th Fighter Squadron at Fresno ANG Base, Calif.; and the 159th Fighter Wing’s 122nd Fighter Squadron at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans, La.

“We’re still working through those details” of how the proposed F-15C/D reduction will affect the number of F-15C/D squadrons and the number of F-15C/Ds per squadron, Air Force Capt. Jacob Bailey, a service spokesman, wrote in a June 1 email.
The service has frowned upon having mixed squadrons of legacy aircraft and newer planes due to what the service has said are increased sustainment costs for such squadrons.
The Lockheed Martin F-35A represents the other possible, near-term replacement for the retiring F-15C/Ds, but the Air Force is also planning to divest 47 older Lockheed Martin F-16C/Ds in fiscal 2022–a decision that, if enacted, would decrease the F-16C/D fleet from 936 to 889. The Air Force has always spoken of the single-engine F-35A as the replacement for the single engine F-16.
The inventory of F-35As would grow by 50 in fiscal 2022, from 326 to 376, per the Air Force budget request–an increase that would more than compensate for the loss of retiring F-16C/Ds.

Yet, ANG F-15C/D units have clamored for the F-35A.
“Guard leaders in the five F-15 states initially expressed a preference for the Lockheed-built F-35A,” the National Guard Association of the United States said last August. “The concern is, the F-15EX will be a predominantly Guard aircraft and may not receive the same attention as systems also flown in the active component.”


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by mixelflick » 08 Jun 2021, 16:03

As much as I'd like to see the F-35 flying around here in MA, I'm not so sure that's the right decision. If the 104th's primary mission is really to defend the Northeast/25% of the population, I would say the F-15EX is probably the most appropriate choice. In that mission, it's large RCS is a non issue and it can carry far more AMRAAM's than the F-35. It's radar is more than up to the task, and its greater speed would allow it to CAP over NYC or intercept a barrage of cruise missiles faster. It should have really good legs too, even assuming no in flight refueling assets are available.

Besides, we have F-35's already flying out of VT, the Green Mountain Boys. Fast planes and small states mean they could be here quickly if the need arises...


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by Corsair1963 » 08 Jun 2021, 22:31

doge wrote:The replacement for the F-15C is... the F-35 !! :doh: (Oh my God)
https://www.masslive.com/news/2021/05/g ... -base.html
Gov. Charlie Baker meets at Pentagon with Air Force brass as Westfield works to get F-35 fighter jets at Barnes Air National Guard Base
By Jim Kinney |Posted May 14, 2021
WASHINGTON — Gov. Charlie Baker met Friday at the Pentagon with the Air Force’s top civilians and uniformed leadership as Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield stays in the running to host the latest F-35A fighters jets.
Baker’s public schedule included a meeting with Jennifer L. Miller, acting assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations, environment and energy, followed by a separate meeting with both acting secretary of the Air Force John P. Roth and Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., chief of staff of the Air Force.
Baker also had his annual sit-down with the state’s congressional delegation, hosted by U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield. Neal said last week that he planned for an east-west passenger rail route linking Springfield and Boston to be a topic at that conversation in the Capitol.
The governor also planned to meet with members of the Massachusetts National Guard deployed in Washington following the Jan. 6 riots.
But it’s the Air Force meetings that give a window into the administration’s efforts on behalf of Westfield and Barnes.

Brown is the senior uniformed Air Force officer responsible for the organization, training and equipping of 689,000 active-duty, National Guard, Reserve and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas.
The Air Force has said it will replace the current F-15 fighters at Barnes, home of the Air National Guard’s 104th Fighter Wing, and at other bases — Fresno Yosemite Airport in California and Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans — with either F-15EX planes or, preferably, the F-35As.
It matters for Westfield and the region whether Barnes gets the upgraded F-15EX fighters or the more modern F-35As, said Westfield Mayor Donald F. Humason Jr. The F-15 platform is getting old, he said, while the future is the F-35. Getting them here could secure the base’s future for decades.
“What would be better for us and the region (that) if what was going on at the 104th was cutting edge, as futuristic as possible?” Humason said. “If you are not moving forward and advancing, you are standing still.”
Humason said one of the criteria the Air Force will look at is if the bases are in welcoming communities. Fighter jets have caused pushback in some communities, including Burlington, Vermont.

From June 21-25, there will be a site survey at Barnes as part of the base selection process, said state Sen. Jon C. Velis. He said he expects a decision in the fall.
The process was delayed both by COVID-19 and by the transition from the Trump administration to the Biden administration.
Besides being a state senator and former state representative, Velis is on the Massachusetts Military Asset and Security Strategy Task Force and is a major in the Army Reserve.
At Barnes, the airport and its tenants — military and civilian — have a $138.5 million payroll and total economic impact of $236 million a year, according to the city’s airport authority. The airport is responsible directly or indirectly for 2,100 jobs.
The 104th Fighter Wing is tasked with providing armed fighters ready to scramble over the Northeast in response to any airborne threat. The unit is responsible for protecting a quarter of the nation’s population and over one-third of its gross domestic product.
Westfield mayor Don Humason speaks at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the reopening of Runway 15-33 in August. He said the city supports efforts to get the F-35 jets.



Clearly, many of the current ANG F-15C Units. Would prefer the F-35A over the F-15EX long term. Which, is what happen with the Florida ANG. They saw the writing on the wall and pushed hard for the F-35A until they got it!


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