Liberty Coast
FANG TO GET F-35A IN 2024
JACKSONVILLE’S AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE: Defending the Homeland, Here and Abroad by Joe Snowberger
U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Carlynne King
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his is the third story in a series introducing our readers to the military bases and major commands on The Liberty Coast. Located adjacent to the Jacksonville International Airport (JIA) is the Jacksonville Air National Guard Base, home to the 125th Fighter Wing, whose main mission is in its name: Fighter. Commercial passengers landing and taking off in Jacksonville can locate the Florida Air National Guard’s (FANG) Jacksonville air base by seeing the Air Force F-15C fighter jets parked under canopies on the other side of the airport’s runways. Those Eagles are “combat ready” to take off and carry out either of their two missions: state and federal. The primary role of the base and the 125th Fighter Wing is to protect life and property under the Governor as part of the Florida Air National Guard. In its federal mission, the F-15s are a U. S. Air Force asset. Some of the aircraft are always “on alert status” to respond to threats to the homeland. Routinely, the F-15s and their combat-ready crews are called on to deploy across the globe to perform air superiority and air dominance assignments. The FANG’s F-15C is a single-seat jet that is the decades-long reigning champion of air superiority. The pilot doesn’t even have to look down at the cockpit instruments to track and destroy enemy aircraft—s/he need only continue looking at the windscreen, which displays all vital information in any light condition. Talk about focus! The Jacksonville Air National Guard Base is staffed by both full-time and the more traditional, part-time Air Force National Guard personnel. Several of the pilots are flying for commercial airlines. Some of the ground crew have full-time civilian jobs as nurses, teachers, welders and IT specialists. The Jacksonville Air National Guard base is one of the seven military bases on The Liberty Coast. Also in this issue is the breaking news that the FANG will receive the Air Force’s newest jets in 2024. Watch for more stories about our “citizen soldiers” and airmen in future issues of Liberty Life. 08 | LIBERTYLIFEMEDIA.COM | AUGUST 26, 2020 VOL. 1 / ISSUE 4
AIR FORCE NEWS SERVICE, Washington D.C. – The Air Force plans to replace the Air National Guard’s aging F-15Cs in Florida and Oregon with the service’s newest air superiority aircraft. Jacksonville Air National Guard Base, Florida, will begin receiving F-35s in 2024; Kingsley Field, Oregon, will host the Air Force’s first F-15EX formal training mission beginning in 2022; and the unit at Portland Air National Guard Base will become the first operational F-15EX squadron in 2023. The Air Force’s F-15Cs are aging and expected to run out of service life by the mid-2020s. The Air Force also plans to replace the remaining Air National Guard operational F-15C/D bases (Barnes Airport, Massachusetts, Fresno Yosemite Airport, and Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans) with either F-35As or F-15EXs. Naval Air Station Lemoore is also being considered for F-35As. “The Air National Guard has consistently stepped up to meet the challenges of countless national contingencies over recent years,” said Maj Gen Mike Loh, Director of the Air National Guard. “Transitioning to these new weapon systems will maintain our effectiveness as a member of the Total Air Force into the future.” The Air Force will now conduct on-the-ground site surveys at each of these locations to assess operational requirements, potential impacts to existing missions, infrastructure and manpower, and costs before deciding which aircraft will replace the F-15C mission. The Air Force will complete the required Environmental Impact Analysis Process before making a final decision. Currently, four active-duty operational locations—Hill Air Force Base, Utah; Royal Air Force Lakenheath, United Kingdom; Eielson AFB, Alaska; and Tyndall AFB, Florida—have been identified to host the F-35A. Additionally, three Air National Guard locations—Burlington ANG base, Vermont; Dannelly Field, Alabama; and Truax Field, Wisconsin; and one Air Force Reserve location–Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas–have been identified as F-35 locations. Colonel Matthew J. French, the commander of the 125th Fighter Wing, shared this response to the pending receipt of F-35s: “The unrivalled professionalism, dedication and innovative spirit of our Thunder Airmen is the reason why now is the perfect time for our unit to take this leap into the future. I could not be more excited for our Airmen, the great State of Florida, and our surrounding communities, as together, we usher in this new era of enhanced air defense provided by your Florida Air National Guard. Let everyone know that when they see the Lightning, the Thunder is the sound of freedom!”
Photo by Capt. Leslie Westmont 115th Fighter Wing/Public Affairs, (WI Air National Guard)
