The town of Buckeye has supported the mission of Luke Air Force Base for decades. Just recently, the Town Council unanimously approved a resolution strongly encouraging the U. S. Department of Defense, Congress and the Administration to designate Luke Air Force Base as a training site for the Air Force version of the F-35 Lightning II fighter.
The operations at Luke AFB have impacted people from all walks of life and from every state in the nation. Since 1988, Luke Air Force Base has trained 16,270 fighter pilots to fly the F-16 Fighting Falcon and graduated 9,071 crew chiefs. They continue…
GLENDALE, Ariz. (Feb 25 2010) – West Valley residents are turning out in large numbers this week to show their support in bringing the new F-35 fighter jet to Luke Air Force Base.
Tuesday night’s meeting in El Mirage and last night’s meeting in Surprise each attracted big crowds of approximately 300 people. Luke supporters donning military hats, t-shirts, pins and stickers could be found everywhere at the meetings, which are being conducted by the Air Force to solicit input from citizens in preparation of the F-35 environmental study at the Glendale base.
Based on reports from other communities, such as New Mexico, Utah and Idaho, which are also under consideration to receive the Air Force’s joint strike fighter program, the Luke meetings are drawing record crowds.
“At last night’s meeting in Surprise, there was a line of people waiting to get inside the meeting room,” said Fighter Country Partnership’s Steve Yamamori, whose organization is working with 12 West Valley cities and Maricopa County to bring the F-35 to Luke. West Valley residents and others are showing up in force at these meetings to express their support for the Air Force to bring the F-35 to Luke. This strong support by local citizens is definitely going to send a clear message to decisions makers back in Washington, D.C. that Arizona strongly supports the F-35.”
Based on the criteria the Air Force will use to evaluate sites for the F-35 mission, Luke is well positioned to receive the F-35 and continue to serve as the Air Force’s “school house” for America’s fighter pilots and maintainers.
Local leaders know, however, that until a decision is made, nothing can be taken for granted, and they urge continued strong support from Arizonans statewide.
Luke has been training fighter pilots since 1941, and Arizona features the ideal climate, land, airspace and training rangers – including the Barry M. Goldwater Range in southern Arizona – that cannot be replicated anywhere in the country.
For more information on the public-scoping meetings, which run through Friday, or to register your support for the F-35 at Luke, visit www.LukeForward.com.
CONTACT: Steve Yamamori, Fighter Country Partnership, 623-882-2191
The Wickenburg meeting is this Thursday (Feb. 25) at the Wickenburg High School Media Center, at 1090 S. Vulture Mine Road. This is an open-house scoping meeting and will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. to provide the public an opportunity to learn about F-35s and to provide input to help define the proposed action and alternatives. Other meetings are being held around the valley. For meeting locations call 623-856-6169 or visit http://lukeforward.com/.
Residents are encouraged to attend one or more of these meetings and to complete comment forms that will be used during the process of the Environmental Impact…
The Luke Forward Committee has been sending out thousands of emails to registered supporters the past week providing an alternative option to physically attending these meetings from across the valley. The F-35 Public Scoping meetings are a critical part of the Environmental Impact Study being conducted by the Air Force.
The Air Force proposes to establish training F-35A Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) training aircraft at one or more existing Air Force installations within the continental United States. F-35A is a conventional take-off, multiple-role fighter with an emphasis on air-to-ground missions. The aircraft was designed to replace and supplement F-16 and A-10…
by Surprise Mayor L.E. “Lyn” Truitt
As mayor of Surprise, I see the positive difference Luke Air Force Base makes daily in our community. That is why I fully support bringing the F-35 training program to Luke Air Force Base.
Surprise has more flyovers from Luke’s F-16 jets than any other West Valley city. To us, the roar of those fighters is the sound of freedom.
Luke AFB is a true West Valley native. Its mission of defending freedom blossomed decades ago, when it was a training site for young WWII pilots. Many of them loved Arizona and settled here; becoming residents of…
Tensions between F-35 jet supporters and skeptics will have another chance to boil over next week, as the Air Force will hold a series of scoping meetings to hear the public’s concerns.
The public scoping process is intended to actively involve citizens and government agencies in helping identify the environmental issues to be addressed in the environmental analysis of the F-35 at Luke. These meetings will provide residents with an introduction to the F-35 and its capabilities and mission. Specific information on how the F-35 will be integrated at Luke as a training facility will also be covered.
Meetings are scheduled in…
In the last several months, there has been a flurry of public meetings, media coverage and varying opinions on the campaign to bring the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program to Luke Air Force Base (AFB).
Unfortunately, there have been many opinions that were misconstrued as facts that could potentially hurt the opportunity to have Luke AFB chosen as the new JSF training base for the Department of Defense.
As mayor of Surprise, I want to state my full support for bringing the F-35 training program to Arizona. Surprise has more flyovers of aircraft than any other West Valley city and…
Local, State Leaders Work Together to Make Arizona A National Model for Protecting Military Bases
West Valley and state leaders have been working together to take proactive steps in preserving and enhancing the long-term mission viability of the state’s military installations.
Their actions may soon pay off as Luke Air Force Base is one of several Air Force bases being considered for the upcoming F-35 training mission.
Since the first successful state legislation was passed in 1978, there has been a coordinated and continuous approach to establishing compatible land uses around military bases in Arizona, including Luke.
State laws establish compatible land uses and…
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why is the Air Force planning to phase out the F-16 fighter jet from its fleet, and what does this mean to Luke AFB’s current training mission?
The Air Force began using the F-16 in 1979 and plans to keep the aircraft in service for at least another decade. The planned replacement for the F-16 is the F-35 Lightning II, which is the military’s new and improved fighter jet. Establishing a second F-35 training base at Luke AFB is the next step in the military’s development and national protection. Eglin Air Force Base in Florida has been…
The Yuma community received some reassurance Tuesday that the Marine Corps Air Station will be at the forefront of military technology in the coming years.
A representative of the local base, Lt. Col. Geoffrey Olander, told a community support group that indications are that MCAS Yuma will get its first F-35 Joint Strike Fighters in May 2012…
