{"id":30422,"date":"2017-10-06T11:58:00","date_gmt":"2017-10-06T11:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2017\/10\/06\/f-35a-fighter-jet-coming-to-alaskan-air-force-base-for-testing\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:35:50","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:35:50","slug":"f-35a-fighter-jet-coming-to-alaskan-air-force-base-for-testing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/training-sim\/2017\/10\/06\/f-35a-fighter-jet-coming-to-alaskan-air-force-base-for-testing\/","title":{"rendered":"F-35A fighter jet coming to Alaskan Air Force base for testing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

FAIRBANKS, Alaska \u2014 A fighter jet will be at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, for testing this month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The F-35A Lighting II will be the first of its kind to visit Eielson, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported<\/a>. It\u2019s a multipurpose fighter plane designed to replace older fighters, including the U.S. Air Force\u2019s F-16 Fighting Falcons, the A-10 Warthog, the Navy\u2019s aircraft carrier-based F-18 Hornet and the Marine Corps\u2019 AV-8B Harrier II.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The F-35 is the most expensive weapons program in U.S. history. Each one costs about $95 million. The U.S. plans to buy more than 2,400 of them and sell hundreds to allies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cmdr. David Mineau of the 354th Fighter Wing plans to talk with community leaders about the F-35A\u2019s mission in Alaska in mid-October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The planes will not be used by the two squadrons set to come to Eielson in 2020. Construction began during the summer to prepare for the arrival of the two squadrons, along with about 3,000 airmen and their families, civilian employees and contractors.<\/p>\n\n\n\t