The F-35 Is Coming to the U.S. Air Force Reserve in Fort Worth, TX
TX – Did you know that the Air Force Reserve’s 301st Fighter Wing in Fort Worth is getting ready to transition from the F-16 Fighting Falcon to the F-35A? The 301st has been flying the F-16s for nearly 32 years. That puts the F-16’s debut in the Air Force Reserve around 1993. By contrast, the military has been using F-16s since 1979. As of 2023, the USAF still had as many as 800 Fighting Falcons in their operational inventory, and before the 301st Fighter Wing retired theirs to Nevada’s Nellis Air Force Base, those fighter jets were used overseas in two final missions, including Spartan Shield and Operation Inherent Resolve. Of course, just because those F-16s were moved out of the U.S. Air Force Reserve’s inventory to Nellis Air Force Base doesn’t mean that they’re headed for the military scrapyard. Instead, those fighter jets will be used to increase the operational capacity of the 93rd Fighter Squadron, which is located in Florida at the Homestead Air Reserve Base.
What are the specs of the F-16s?
The F-16s were developed and manufactured by Lockheed Martin, just like the F-35. The F-16 is a multi-role fighter jet that can engage in air-to-air, air-to-ground, and strike missions. It has a nose-to-tail length of 47 feet, eight inches. It has a wingspan of 31 feet and a height of 16 feet, five inches. Its maximum gross takeoff weight is 37,500 pounds. It has a maximum airspeed of Mach 1.73, and it has a maximum service ceiling of 50,000 feet or about 9.5 miles above sea level. The F-16 has a maximum range of 1,260 miles. This allows it to fly as many as 500 miles to enter a mission, engage in combat, and return to its starting point.
What are the specs of the F-35s?
The F-35A, by contrast, has a total length of 51 feet. Its full wingspan is 35 feet, and it has a height of 14 feet. This makes it a little longer from nose to tail with a longer wingspan. However, it’s slightly more than two feet shorter than the F-16. It can fly above 50,000 feet, and it has a maximum takeoff weight of 70,000 pounds. The F-35 can reach speeds of up to Mach 1.6, and it has a maximum range of 1,350 miles without air-to-air refueling.
When will Fort Worth get its first two F-35s?
The 301st Fighter Wing will receive their first two F-35s in August 2024, which is slightly less than a month away. The irony is that the 301st Fighter Wing is located at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base at Forth Worth, Texas, and the Lockheed Martin factory that’s producing the F-35s is across the street. As it turns out, Colonel Benjamin Harrison has been watching those new F-35s roll off the production line and take flight to other military locations while he’s been forced to wait for his turn. Now that the 301st Fighter Wing is slated to get their first two, he couldn’t be more excited. For the 301st Fighter Wing, it’s a historic moment. This will be the first time that an Air Force Reserve Unit will have its own Joint Strike Fighters.
The Joint Strike Fighter Program
The F-35s are part of the Joint Strike Fighter Program. This specific program, which is spearheaded by the United States Department of Defense, was created to develop a fifth generation of air-to-air, air-to-ground, and strike fighter jets that can be used by various branches of the U.S. Military as well as the United States’ allies.
This stealth fighter jet has three versions that contain specific features for each branch of the U.S. military. The F-35A was designed for the U.S. Air Force. The F-35B was designed for the U.S. Marines, and the F-35C was designed for the U.S. Navy.
To find and develop the Joint Strike Fighter jet, the DoD held contests. Many, if not all, of the United States’ major aircraft developers, participated in these contests that spanned eight years. Between 2000 and 2001, the DoD finally chose Lockheed Martin’s airframe design, and full production began in 2006. The military received their first F-35 in 2011, and to date, they’ve delivered nearly one thousand of these stealth Joint Strike Fighters. Today, Lockheed Martin is still the primary manufacturer of this military aircraft. However, they do use subcontractors for some of the parts and systems.
April’s Bulkhead Signing Ceremony in Fort Worth
To commemorate the 301st Fighter Wing’s first F-35s, a ceremony was held in Fort Worth at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base. Lt. General John P. Healy and Chief Master Sergeant, Isreal Nuñez visited the base on April second and third. They participated in a bulkhead signing ceremony at the Lockheed Martin manufacturing plant and toured the facility with the 301st Fighter Wing, among other duties.
This was a momentous occasion and a military reserve first. After all, the 301st Fighter Wing will be responsible for the ownership and maintenance of their F-35s, and in total, they expect to receive 26 F-35s for their sole use. It is a great responsibility and an honor, and it’ll be interesting to see what types of missions those F-35s undertake.