ACTION 8 UPDATE: First F-35 fighter jets arrive in Montgomery
WATCH THIS RAW ACTION 8 NEWS VIDEO OF THE F-35s ARRIVAL ABOVE
Action 8 News was at Dannelly Field Wednesday as the first F-35 fighter jets arrived in Montgomery.
As we have reported, three jets arrived today, and over the next year, the number will rise to about 20. They are coming to the Alabama Air National Guard’s 187th Fighter Wing at Dannelly Field.
The F-35s are the state-of-the-art replacements for the F-16s. The last of the F-16s left in April, after first being authorized by Congress in 1987.
The incoming F-35s will be the most advanced versions of this combat aircraft. They use radar, RF energy and other technology to see objects and to display them within a pilot’s helmet.
Construction is still underway at Dannelly Field for the F-35.
A $170 million building is expected to be finished next summer that will house spare parts and other equipment. Another building that is under construction will hold eight flight simulators to be used for training.
Lt. Col. Kevin Pugh, who is the director of this project, spoke to Action 8 News a few weeks ago. He is overseeing the conversion of more than 1,000 personnel from using the F-16 to the all-new F-35s.
The overall conversion project will take three years.
He says it’s estimated that this project will have an economic impact of nearly $2 billion on our area.
A celebration is planned for February, but we don’t yet know if that will be open to the public.
