The Air Force Reserve Command has issued a final environmental impact statement examining the potential effects of basing a Reserve squadron of F-35 fighter jets at four bases, including Tucson’s Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.
The Air Force already has named Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth as its “preferred” site for the Reserve’s first F-35 squadron, but D-M, Homestead Air Reserve Base in Florida and Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri were studied as reasonable alternatives.
The final report, which draws the same conclusions as a draft study issued in February, is available online at www.afrc-f35a-beddown.com.
After a 30-day waiting period, the Air Force will issue a “record of decision” finalizing its choice.
The Air Force found that basing 24 F-35s at D-M, Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth or at Whiteman would cause “significant noise impacts” in both communities, while basing them at Homestead would create “adverse” but not significant noise impacts.
Under one scenario, an estimated 1,506 people living near D-M would experience increased average noise levels of 65 decibels or more — a threshold the Air Force has said can potentially make an area incompatible for residential use. The noise also would interfere with learning at one charter school immediately north of D-M, the study said.
