MADISON (WKOW) -- The first F-35 fighter jet to call Truax Field home is officially on the ground in Madison. The 115th Fighter Wing says the jet's arrival not only makes history but brings their airmen and women to new heights.
“This is the most advanced fighter weapon system that the Air Force has ever fielded, and Wisconsin is only the second National Guard in the nation to be entrusted with this mission,” Major Gen. Paul Knapp, the commander of the Wisconsin National Guard, said.
The F-35A Lightning II Aircraft arrived Tuesday afternoon as a large crowd watched.
“It was emotional,” Col. Mike Koob, the jet's pilot, said.
After touching down, Koob raised a Wisconsin flag into the air as the crowd cheered.
“We really appreciate the support,” Koob said.
The F-35 that arrived Tuesday is one of 20 that will arrive over the next year. Of those 20, 18 will serve as primaries, while two will serve as backups.
Colonel Bart Van Roo, Commander of the 115th Fighter Wing, said the jets are a significant upgrade from the F-16s they used to have and will benefit them greatly as they protect the skies.
“It really can do a little bit of everything. So, potentially air defense like we do here on the alert mission, and we will do here on alert with the F-35, or something much more dynamic in trying to defeat air-to-ground threats that are modern in modern countries with modern capabilities,” Van Roo said.
Getting the jets to Truax Field has been a project more than a decade in the works. It comes at a time the 115th Fighter Wing says is momentous.
“It really is a pivotal moment in our history–both as a state and a nation, in terms of threats to our nation, such as, the emerging threat of China. And, we in Wisconsin will be on the cutting edge of defending our state and nation,” Knapp said.
Not everyone is on board with the F-35 jets. Tom Boswell with the Safe Skies, Clean Water Coalition believes the jets will pollute the environment, make Madison a nuclear target and disrupt children from learning in dozens of nearby daycares and schools.
“Fifty-nine schools and daycares within three miles of the airport," Boswell said. "80 to 90% of the kids in the three most impacted elementary schools in the area are children from low-income families and people of color. It's a horrible disservice to our community."
The Wisconsin Air National Guard said it has secured an almost $800,000 grant to address concerns about noise, specifically.
“It's going to allow us to do a really thorough study–noise study–in the local area to include all of the local schools and neighborhoods and see what we can do in the future for mitigation of any noise,” Knapp said.
Still, Boswell and others with the Safe Skies, Clean Water Coalition are calling on state leaders to negotiate with the Air Force to come up with a new mission for the base – a mission they say they would like to be different.
“We want a mission that would really be a benefit of the community, like responding to natural disasters to medical emergencies, and that sort of thing,” Boswell said.
Wisconsin is just the second state in the nation to welcome F-35s.
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