Air Force: F-35 to arrive at Arizona base by Monday
Mar 7, 2014, 4:35 PM | Updated: 4:36 pm
PHOENIX — The newest military jet is scheduled to be in the Valley by Monday, the Air Force said in an email.
The F-35 is expected to be unveiled to media Monday morning and be available for public viewing during Luke Air Force Base’s air show and open house on March 15 and 16.
The Pentagon said it expects to house three F-35 squadrons at Luke, which is also expected to give a big boost to Arizona’s economy. Three additional squadrons could be added as the F-16 is phased out of military operations.
The F-35 is expected to bring about the retirement of the F-16.
Luke is a pilot-training base that has been selected for F-35 training, while operational units flying the F-35 will be located at other air bases.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.