LEMOORE (KMJ) — The first step to bringing the F35C Joint Strike Fighter to Naval Air Station Lemoore has been made – with the start of a multi-million dollar improvement project.
The groundbreaking is the first step towards bringing the F35C to the base. It’ll see an expansion of Hanger 5 to accommodate the new plane, and soon after that new squadrons will be transferring to NAS Lemoore to pilot them.
“We have 15 squadrons here right now”, says Public Works Officer Commander Kevin Norton, “there are two more that are going to be coming in over the next couple of years. So a total of 17 [here], seven of those are going to transition to the F35C”.
“This is a huge thing. NAS Lemoore is the west coast master jet base. They’re going to be looking at local subcontractors in order to do the work…if they can manage it”.
The $14.5 million project will also see other improvements made to the existing hanger space, but getting the money to make the improvements wasn’t easy.
“So many people have a piece of this. It’s a huge team effort in order to get to this point. Once all the planning was completed we got permission and the money from Congress in order to award the contract. Now we’re here at construction and it’s a very very exciting time”.
The first F35Cs will be based there from early 2017.
Listen to the report as it featured on KMJ.
