The Air Force has set a public meeting in Tucson in April to solicit comments on possible future basing of the F-35 fighter jet at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, though there is no immediate plan to base the next-generation fighter at D-M.
In January, the Air Force picked Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas as its preferred location for the first Air Force Reserve F-35 base.
But D-M and two other bases that were finalists will be studied along with the Fort Worth base for their environmental suitability for an F-35 squadron, and one of them could be next in line for a Reserve F-35 unit.
The public meeting on an upcoming environmental impact study is set for April 24, from 5:00 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Tucson Convention Center.
The other bases that will be assessed as future F-35 sites are Homestead Air Reserve Base in Homestead, Florida, and Whiteman Air Force Base in Knob Noster, Missouri.
The Defense Department made its intentions public Wednesday when it filed a notice of intent in the Federal Register that the Air Force planned to assess the four sites as potential homes for two dozen F-35A aircraft.
Local officials have touted D-M as an ideal place for an F-35 unit, citing its year-round flying weather and access to Arizona training ranges including the Barry M. Goldwater bombing range west of Tucson.
But some local residents vehemently oppose basing the F-35 at D-M, contending it is too loud for the community and that its single-engine design poses a safety hazard.
