Airforces Monthly - February 2017

ARTICLE SUMARY
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More bases selected as possible ANG F-35 locations
US AIR Force officials have
announced five installations
that have been selected as
candidate bases for the next
two Air National Guard F-35A
Lightning II locations. The
candidate stations, which
were announced on December
7, comprise: Dannelly Field
Air Guard Station (AGS),
Montgomery, Alabama;
Gowen Field AGS, Boise, Idaho;
Jacksonville AGS Florida;
Selfridge Air National Guard
Base, Detroit, and Truax
AGS, Madison, Wisconsin.
Jennifer A Miller, Deputy
Assistant Secretary of the Air
Force for Installations, said:
“The Air Force is committed
to a deliberate and open
process to address F-35
basing. As we progress
through the basing process,
we will share information so
interested communities are
aware of what to expect.”
The USAF will now conduct
on-the-ground site surveys at
each candidate location. Sitesurvey
teams will assess each
location against operational
requirements, potential
impacts to existing missions,
infrastructure and manpower,
and then develop cost estimates
to bed down the F-35A.
The preferred and reasonable
alternatives are expected to
be selected this spring and
the USAF will complete the
Environmental Impact Analysis
Process before making a final
basing decision. The F-35As are
expected to begin arriving at the
second and third ANG locations
in the early to mid-2020s.
To date, three active duty
operational locations and
one ANG location have been
identified for F-35A basing.
These are Hill AFB, Utah;
RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk,
in the UK; and Eielson AFB,
Alaska; plus Burlington AGS,
Vermont, for the ANG base.
Airmen assigned to the 34th Aircraft Maintenance Unit and 75th Logistics Readiness Squadron perform hot refuelling on US Air Force F-35A Lightning II 13-5079
‘HL’ from the 388th FW’s 34th FS ‘Rude Rams’ on November 8 at Hill AFB, Utah. US Air Force/Todd Cromar
Arizona Air
National Guard
KC-135 base
renamed
GOLDWATER AIR National
Guard Base is officially the
new name of the Arizona ANG
installation formerly known as
Phoenix Sky Harbor ANG Base.
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey
enacted the change during
a ceremony on December 9,
to honour one of the Arizona
ANG’s founding members. The
base is home to the KC-135R/T
Stratotankers of the 161st Air
Refueling Wing ‘Copperheads’.
In 1946, now-deceased
Senator Barry M Goldwater
was one of the original
members of the state’s first
Air Guard squadron, which
later became today’s 161st
ARW. After serving in the
Army Air Corps during World
War Two, Goldwater returned
to Arizona and became the
first federally recognised
National Guard pilot in the
state. He dedicated 37 years
of his life to military service in
the Army, Air Force Reserves
and Arizona ANG, eventually
retiring as a major general.
‘Ike’ returns home
The Dwight D Eisenhower Carrier
Strike Group has returned
to the United States after a
seven-month deployment
in support of Operations
Inherent Resolve, Odyssey
Resolve and Oaken Steel. The
aircraft carrier USS Dwight D
Eisenhower (CVN 69) arrived at
its homeport of Naval Station
Norfolk, Virginia, on December
30 accompanied by the guided
missile cruiser USS San Jacinto
(CG 56) and guided missile
destroyers USS Mason (DDG
87) and USS Nitze (DDG 94).
Embarked on ‘Ike’ (CVN 69) are
the squadrons of Carrier Air Wing
(CVW) 3, including Strike Fighter
Squadrons (VFA) 32 ‘Swordsmen’,
VFA-86 ‘Sidewinders’, VFA-
105 ‘Gunslingers’ and VFA-131
‘Wildcats’; Electronic Attack
Squadron (VAQ) 130 ‘Zappers’;
Carrier Airborne Early Warning
Squadron (VAW) 123 ‘Screwtops’;
Fleet Logistics Support Squadron
(VRC) 40 ‘Rawhides’; Helicopter
Above: A VFA-131 'Wildcats' F/A-18C seen launching from the USS ‘Eisenhower’. US Navy
Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM)
74 ‘Swamp Foxes’; and Helicopter
Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 7
‘Dusty Dogs’. While deployed,
the strike group operated in
the 5th and 6th US Fleet areas
of operations while providing
maritime security, conducting
combat missions and launching
F/A-18 strikes against terrorist
targets in Syria and Iraq.
For a full feature on the
USS Eisenhower cruise, see
page 58 in this issue.
www.airforcesmonthly.com #347 FEBRUARY 2017
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