Training operations and construction projects for F-35 operations at the Guard base adjacent to Burlington International Airport have been underway since 2016, guard officials said. They expect the first of the new fleet planes to arrive within 18 months.
The press event came six days before Burlington voters will weigh in on the basing in a Town Meeting Day ballot measure. Opponents are campaigning for residents to vote “yes” on a question that asks whether the City Council should request the cancellation of the F-35 basing in favor of “low-noise-level equipment with a proven high safety record appropriate for a densely populated area.”
Air Guard officials have maintained that the F-35 decision, which the U.S. Air Force handed down in 2013, is beyond the point of no return.
Brig. Gen. Joel Clark said “it would be fair to say” that the press event was held in response to next week’s vote.
Clark said the Guard intends to make more details public throughout the basing process. They also plan to bring F-35s to Burlington for a public demonstration before the end of 2018.
“I am very confident we will land a couple jets here this year,” Clark said.
The Guard is in the process of divesting its current fighter jets, said Lt. Col. Daniel Finnegan. Of 23 F-16s that were stationed in Burlington, eight have been transferred to the Nellis Air Force Base in southern Nevada. Finnegan said they expect the last F-16 to leave Burlington within a year, about six months before the first F-35s arrive.
“How much we fly is largely a function of how much space we have to house and maintain aircraft,” he said. As construction projects around the base ramp up, “we are rapidly running out of room.”
Modifications to the base are about halfway done, Finnegan said. Three buildings are currently under renovation, and seven more will see upgrades. The Guard has spent $83 million on construction so far.
The building that housed training simulators for the F-16 has been gutted. New F-35 simulators, which require taller ceilings, new computer equipment and upgraded climate control systems, will be installed in the space later this year.
Other renovations include previously planned updates to aging portions of the Guard’s facilities.
The main maintenance facility, a sprawling hangar that will hold up to five F-35s at a time, is one of the oldest buildings on the base. It’s currently undergoing structural and electrical updates, and its fire suppression system is being upgraded to new standards.
All of the airfield pavement is currently being replaced at a cost of $40 million. Col. Adam Rice said this project has been in the works for 10 to 15 years and would have been required for the F-16. “It was certainly reprioritized when we got the new mission,” he said.
In preparation, the Guard is training 50 airmen to establish a “foundation of experience” before the jets arrive, Finnegan said.
“When the first F-35 lands here in 18 months,” he said, “we intend to be fully trained and equipped to receive it.”
