US Air Force to deploy 18 F-35A Lightning II fifth-generation fighters at Massachusetts air base

The US Department of Defence has chosen Barnes Air Force Base as the new home for the fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighter jets. They will be a replacement for the outdated F-15C/D Eagle aircraft.

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The base is located in Westfield, Massachusetts. It is home to the 104th Fighter Aviation Regiment. The US Air Force will deploy 18 F-35A fifth-generation fighters here.

U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Gary Keefe said the 104th Regiment has experience conducting missions on U.S. soil and in other countries. The arrival of the fighters at the base ensures the regiment's long-term viability and will enable it to continue to carry out its "vital mission of air supremacy for years to come."

The Aerospace Control Alert 24/7/365 mission has protected 40 million Americans in New England and New York, who produce about 30 per cent of the US gross domestic product. Air Force Col. David L. Halasikun, commander of the 104th Regiment, said.

Barnes is home to the fourth-generation F-15C/D fighter jets that entered service in early 1979. The U.S. Air Force could have replaced them with newer versions of the F-15s located at other bases in the United States. In the end, however, the F-35A was chosen.

Once the decision was formally approved, the US Air Force would begin decommissioning the old F-15C/D. As a result of replacement aircraft, the number of personnel at the base will increase by 80 people.

Source: 104th Fighter Wing