The U.S. Air Force has selected locations to base its newest fighter jets and one is in western Massachusetts.
In a much anticipated decision by the Pentagon, Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield has been picked to receive a new fleet of F-35A aircraft, an action that officials said will ensure the military installation -- with its thousands of jobs -- will remain for decades.
The country’s next generation of military jets, which cost almost $80 million each, will replace the 104th Fighter Wing’s aging fleet of F-15’s. Based at Barnes, the 104th is responsible for homeland air security on the Eastern Seaboard from Maine to Virginia.
The F-35A has about the same speed and range as the F-15, but comes with much newer technology, said the 104th commander Col. David Halasikun.
“The F-35 is stealth-capable and what that means is it can evade enemy air-to-air radar and ground-to-air radar systems allowing us to hold more targets at risk,” he said. “The avionics suites and the weapons delivery systems are more advanced than what the F-15 currently has as well.”
Getting the new planes assigned to Barnes followed a years-long lobbying effort by members of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation and state officials led by former Governor Charlie Baker. Over the last 10 years, the state spent more than $15 million on infrastructure improvements to the base.
In a statement, Gov. Maura Healey said the announcement is “great news.” She added, “It will keep good jobs in Western Mass, create new jobs, and spur economic development.”
Having 18 F-35As based at Barnes will add 80 military jobs, according to the Massachusetts Air National Guard. Current employment, both military and civilian, is about 2,100.
“It is absolutely impossible to overstate the impact these bases have on the economy of Massachusetts,” said State Senator John Velis of Westfield.
Chances of getting the jets increased greatly last year after Massachusetts enacted legislation to cut red tape for spouses of military members moving to the state to get professional licenses and make it easier for their children to enroll in schools, said Velis.
“What happened with the SPEED Act is that it put Massachusetts on the top of the pack in terms of how we treat service members’ families,” he said.
Velis, who is a Major in the U.S. Army Reserve, believes the SPEED Act gave Westfield the edge in the competition with other places around the country to get the F-35s.
“This decision ensures that Barnes here in the city of Westfield will have a future for years and years to come and that is a really great thing,” Velis said.
U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and Senator Ed Markey all issued statements hailing the Air Force decision.
Neighbors of a base in Burlington, Vermont where F-35s are housed have complained about noise.
State Rep. Kelly Pease of Westfield said the noise made by the F-15s has been an issue for some in the community and expects it will be no different with the F-35s.
“I think most of the people in our community are very military-friendly and when they hear ( the jets) it’s like the sound of freedom to them,” Pease said.
The new fleet of F-35’s won’t arrive at Barnes until the fall of 2025, according to the Air National Guard. But one of the new jets will make an appearance at an air show at the base next month.
