The Air Force named five installations as candidates to become the second and third Air National Guard homes for the F-35A. They are: Dannelly Field AGS, Ala.; Gowen Field AGS, Idaho; Jacksonville AGS Fla., Selfridge ANGB, Mich., and Truax AGS, Wisc., according to a Wednesday release. USAF said it would select preferred and alternate locations in the spring of 2017. At that point, environmental impact studies will be performed and a final decision will be made. The F-35A will begin arriving at the selected bases in the mid-2020s. The 158th Fighter Wing at Burlington AGS, Vt., is slated to receive the Guard’s first F-35s in the fall of 2019. The Air Force also previously named three Active Duty operational locations for F-35A basing, including Hill AFB, Utah; RAF Lakenheath, England; and Eielson AFB, Alaska.
Read also: F-35 Lightning Unleashed from the September issue of Air Force Magazine.