On April 18, the Air Force disclosed new sites for two fresh F-15EX groups and a modern F-35 unit, all situated within the Air National Guard. The chosen location for the F-35A squadron is Barnes Air National Guard Base, Mass., while the F-15EXs will be placed at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans, La., and Fresno Air National Guard Base, Calif. The current F-15C/D model aircraft will be phased out by the Air Force in the coming years.
At Barnes, the 104th Fighter Wing is expected to obtain 18 new F-35s, whereas at NAS Joint Reserve Base New Orleans and Fresno, the 159th Fighter Wing and the 144th Fighter Wing are each projected to receive 18 F-15EXs. All three bases’ selections are subject to an environmental impact study, which the Air Force hopes to finish by the spring of 2024 before making a final decision. The Air Force did not provide a timetable for the arrival of the new planes. Air National Guard officials have stated their intention to equip F-35s or F-15EXs to all ANG units that presently use the F-15.
In 2020, the Air Force declared that Jacksonville Air National Guard Base, Fla., will receive the fifth-generation F-35, while Kingsley Field and Portland Air National Guard Base, both in Oregon, will obtain the fourth-generation F-15EX, a greatly improved version of the F-15E.
The ANG already has one location with the F-35, the 158th Fighter Wing at Burlington Air National Guard Base, Vt. The F-35 will also be introduced at Guard units at Truax Field, Wisc., and Dannelly Field, Ala., later this year, replacing their F-16s. These locations and units are in addition to the F-35’s Active-Duty units and locations, including: Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska; Hill Air Force Base, Utah; Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.; Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.; RAF Lakenheath, U.K.; and Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. (planned).
The Air Force Reserve will also receive F-35s at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas. The F-15EX, on the other hand, is still undergoing trials at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The Air Force has yet to announce any Active-Duty locations for the fighter.