Elmendorf to get 6 new F-22 jets as Air Force consolidates

The Air Force announced Thursday that Elmendorf will get the planes from squadrons being deactivated at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M. One of the Holloman squadrons will relocate to Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla.; the other squadron is being split up at four bases across the country, including Elmendorf.

Elmendorf now has 36 F-22s. The six new jets are expected to bring an additional 102 military personnel to Alaska by the fall of 2011, pending an environmental review.

Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, said in a statement that Alaska would accept the planes and personnel "with an overwhelming sense of purpose and this commitment: Our state will always support our service men and women with the same loyal dedication with which they serve our country." Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said Thursday that in light of a fatal C-17 crash Wednesday night, there was no greater tribute to the four airmen who lost their lives.

"Today's announcement is a fitting tribute to those who gave their lives last night while performing the mission they loved," she said in a statement. "It reminds us that there is light even in our darkest days."

"The brave men and women of our Alaskan military put it all on the line daily, as we were so sadly reminded last night," said Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska. "This news honors those we lost and reminds those that are still with us, of their incredible importance to Alaska and to their country."

Although Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced last year the Pentagon would eventually end the F-22 program, the Air Force currently has 186 of the planes on order. But once those orders are complete, the plane will be phased out, said Gary Strasburg, an Air Force spokesman at the Pentagon. The Air Force determined that with fewer F-22s, it was better to consolidate them at four bases instead of five, Strasburg said.

The decision also helps make room for the Air Force's next generation of fighter planes, the F-35, which will replace the aging F-16 and A-10 aircraft. The Pentagon on Thursday announced it intends to position the new F-35s at bases in Arizona, Florida, Utah and Vermont.