11410258_SSThe Phoenix Business Journal is reporting that U.S. Air Force has selected Luke Air Force Base as the preferred secondary training location for the new F-35 fighter jets.

The move, if ultimately approved by the Air Force, could land three squadrons of F-35s at Luke for about 75 training planes. The base currently has about 165 aircraft in several fighter wings, including Air Force Reserve units.

[…]

The move could mean more jobs for the state’s aerospace and defense sector, already an industry with thousands of employees. David Drennon, a spokesman for the Arizona Department of Commerce, said the announcement could spur employment and contracts to support the F-35.


It’s not a done deal yet, however:

The move still has its hurdles. El Mirage, which has much of its city located beneath Luke’s flight path, has questioned the move believing the new fighter will generate more noise than the F-16.

Noise problems already have cropped up at the first training base selected, Eglin Air Force Base near Destin, Fla. The Air Force announced Wednesday it would limit the number of F-35s at the base to 59, a drop of 48 planes originally planned for the base.

While El Mirage and other West Valley cities squabbled about the noise factor, the environmental impact study will be the time to determine what the plane’s effect will be on the surrounding communities, Scruggs said.

“Our position has always been that the environmental impact statement period is when El Mirage’s concerns should be brought forward,” she said.

Read the whole story here.