More Raptors could roost at Langley AFB

Dec. 13--If the Air Force has its way, a few more F-22 Raptors will end up soaring over Langley Air Force Base.

Additional stealth fighter jets would come from Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida, battered by Hurricane Michael this fall. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson discussed the plan during a visit to Langley AFB on Wednesday.

The Air Force wants to rebuild Tyndall as a base for the the advanced F-35 joint strike fighter. Its goal is to house three squadrons of F-35s, but that means the F-22s now based at Tyndall would need another home.

The plan calls for those Raptors to go to Langley, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska and Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii.

Raptor squadrons at those bases would grow from 21 to 24 fighters each.

That would put an additional six Raptors at Langley, formally known as Joint Base Langley-Eustis. The base is home to two Raptor squadrons.

Wilson said the reshuffling makes sense for two reasons. First, it allows the Air Force to build an F-35 base from the ground up instead of using those funds to change other facilities.

Second, the Government Accountability Office has recommended -- and the Air Force has agreed -- that a 24-aircraft squadron increases efficiency because personnel, equipment and parts can be shared.

Small portions of squadrons will deploy overseas, but they can take nearly 50 percent of the squadron's equipment, 40 percent of its maintenance personnel and 60 percent of its operational personnel with it, GAO said. That creates problems for those left behind to conduct needed maintenance or training flights.

If more Raptors come to Langley, it would also mean additional personnel. Wilson could not pinpoint an exact number.

This is not a done deal and the timetable is uncertain. Congress must agree to set aside money to rebuild Tyndall, and Wilson said the Air Force is working with Congress in hopes of finding supplemental funding.

A lot happening

It was a busy day at Langley, which hosted first lady Melania Trump earlier in the day. Wilson spent Wednesday meeting with pilots and maintainers and also talked with Hampton city officials.

The Air Force has announced an ambitious plan to expand the number of squadrons from 312 to 386 by 2030. Some observers have likened it to the Navy's plan for a 355-ship fleet.

Air Force officials say the expansion is needed because the U.S. military faces rising threats from China and Russia.

She dismissed the notion that 386 squadrons would result in an overly large force. The Air Force was much larger in 1991 when the U.S. ousted Saddam Hussein from Kuwait.

"We had 401 squadrons at that time," she said. "We're down to 312 now. We have some very capable aircraft, but we're also facing the emergence of great power competition. We have to prepare for that."

Hugh Lessig, 757-247-7821, [email protected], @hlessig on Twitter

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