So this happened back in April of this year;
WASHINGTON (AFNS) — Air Force officials announced April 12 that Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona; Homestead Air Reserve Base, Florida; Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas; and Whiteman AFB, Missouri, are candidate bases for the first Reserve-led F-35A Lightning II location.
The preferred and reasonable alternatives are expected to be selected in the fall and the F-35As are slated to begin arriving at the first Reserve-led F-35A location by the summer of 2023.
Maybe I missed the fine print, but it seems Sioux Falls isn’t even in the running.
I think your link is about regular Air Force and Reserves. The Air National Guard selections are here.
http://goo.gl/44UaPH
That being said…the f35 is still a huge money pit of wasted US taxpayer dollars.
https://f35baddeal.com/2014/03/19/fd-how-the-u-s-and-its-allies-got-stuck-with-the-worlds-worst-new-warplane/
Sioux Falls isn’t a Reserve base, it is an Air Guard base. IT wasn’t exactly fine print. The very next paragraph says:
“The Air Force also released basing criteria that will be used to select candidate bases for two Air National Guard squadrons, which are planned to receive their first aircraft in the summer of 2022.”
We absolutely are still in the running. This is why Rolfing hand-delivered the mayor’s endorsement to the SD Congressional delegation in Washington DC.
The bases which were announced on April 12, 2016, are the first RESERVE-LED F-35A Lightning II locations.
What remains to be named are the TWO Air National Guard locations.
Information taken directly from the USAF website:
The Air Force also released basing criteria that will be used to select candidate bases for two Air National Guard squadrons, which are planned to receive their first aircraft in the summer of 2022.
“The Air Force is committed to a deliberate and open process to address F-35 basing,†said Jennifer A. Miller, the deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations. “As we progress through the basing process, we will share information so interested communities are aware of what to expect.â€
The basing criteria for the Air National Guard bases include mission requirements (weather, airspace and training range availability), capacity (sufficient hanger and ramp space, and facility considerations), environmental requirements, and cost factors.
The Air Force will evaluate Guard installations with runways of at least 8,000 feet and operational A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, F-16 Fighting Falcons or F-15 Eagles against the approved criteria to identify candidate bases for the F-35A.
After identifying candidate bases, the Air Combat Command and Air National Guard will conduct site surveys at each location as applicable. Site survey 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.
Based on the results of these efforts, the Air Force plans to identify candidate installations for the Air National Guard locations this summer before selecting the preferred and reasonable alternatives and beginning the environmental impact analysis process later this year.
In addition, there is currently millions of dollars worth of construction occurring at the Air National Guard location here in SF in preparation for the possibility of the F-35 being located here.
sf, our air guard has already spent millions in anticipation of getting this dodo bird? What do you know that 18 bases vying for 2 spots don’t know? As I understand it, the field of 18 will soon be down to 4. Then those 4 have to go thru rigorous EIS. (Environmental Impact Studies) Are you going to be honest and explain this?
http://www.stopthef35.com/eis-f-35-has-maximum-loudness-more-4-times-louder-maximum-loudness-f-16/
Thousands of homes and business’ will be rendered too dangerous to be in because of these extreme decibel levels. sf, are you prepared to do this if we are selected.
Create a noise abatement fund to pay for sound insulation improvements on surrounding homes and schools? The Minneapolis airport currently pays up to $14,000 per home for noise abatement improvements.
Provide additional teachers and tutors to help surrounding schools counter the reduction in educational performance and achievement gap caused by dodo noise.
Implement neighborhood improvement projects to improve the quality of life for surrounding residents and offset the loss of taxes due to reduced property values.
Create an independent airport environmental protection officer to advocate for residents and reduce airport impacts.
Write your mayor or councilor and ask them to propose a city toll fee at the Joe Foss Field to offset noise abatement improvements.
BTW, your dodo bird can’t turn, can’t climb, and can’t run as well as an F16. Why all this to get a bird that cannot go to war? 15 years in and
hundreds of billions in research and development, and you still do not have a bird that can pass a simple IOC? (Initial Operating Capability)
This is a perfect example of the military industrial complex and it’s tail wagging the dog.
I don’t know why President Obama or President Clinton would do any favor for folks who never voted for them.
One has to wonder if a billion dollars of planes are posted there if the powers that be will continue to complain about Federal spending. Heck, we can’t accept Medicaid expansion because the feds are so unreliable.
South Dakota is such an unrepentant, hypocritical Welfare Queen!