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The future of Shaw

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Holly Brown
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. --  Shaw and Sumter community members along with McEntire Joint Air National Guard Base, S.C., got a sneak peak into the future Dec. 4-5 when the F-35 Lightning II visited here.

A team from Lockheed Martin gave several briefings and ran an F-35 simulator.

The Air Force is expected to purchase more than 1,750 F-35s, said Billy Diehl, Lockheed Martin F-35 Customer Engagement representative.

"We wanted to make a special trip to Shaw because they will be the first operational wing to receive the F-35," Mr. Diehl said. "We wanted to get them excited about their future."

The Department of Defense named the Lockheed Martin lead Joint Strike Fighter Team as the winner of the contract to develop the F-35 JSF Oct. 26 2001.

"The new strike fighter is designed to be a multi-role aircraft, with a lot of weapons and a lot of gas," Mr. Diehl said.

The fighter has a collection of the newest technology, at an affordable price, Mr. Diehl said. The conventional take-off and landing variant, was quoted at $52 million per aircraft in 2002.

Some of the jet's features include; helmet mounted display system, electro-optical targeting system, multi-function display system, multi-mission active electronically scanned array radar and many other features. Also, some may be impressed with the touch screen and voice activated controls.

The first 14 jets are currently being assembled in Fort Worth, Texas, Mr. Diehl said. Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. will be the training base for the F-35 and will receive its first jet in 2010.

The F-35 will eventually phase out the F-16. Shaw is expected to receive its first F-35 in 2011, Mr. Diehl said.

"The F-35 is going to be a great capability for the Air Force," said Maj. Neil Oakden, 20th Fighter Wing inspector general and F-16 pilot. "It's the gateway to Shaw's future."

For more information about the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, visit the Web site at http://www.jsf.mil/index.htm.