Dvids/Capt. Kristin “BEO” Wolfe leads the F-35A demo team.
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
Downbeach towns would love to see the new F-35A fighter jet flying over the ocean this summer or next.
Ventnor and Margate municipal leaders have approved resolutions in support of a NJ Senate joint resolution signed by Gov. Phil Murphy Jan. 9 encouraging the U.S. Air Force to make the 177th Fighter Wing located at Atlantic City International Airport in Egg Harbor Township a home base for the F-35A, a fifth generation multi-role stealth fighter.
The 177th, which has had active involvement in many U.S. endeavors, including Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, currently flies the single-seat F-16C Fighting Falcon. The Fighter Wing performs weather, airspace and training missions and defends the airspace between New York City and Washington, D.C.
According to the resolution, current facilities will meet the needs of the F-35As and modifications would be limited, thereby minimizing the cost of transitioning from the F-16s. According to the Air Force, “the F-35A is an agile, versatile, high-performance, 9G capable, multirole fighter that combines stealth, sensor fusion, and unprecedented situational awareness.”
According to the resolution, having the new jets, which are manufactured by Lockheed Martin, would support the Fighter Wing’s multi-million-dollar impact on the New Jersey economy, maintain 1,200 existing jobs and create 100 new construction and maintenance jobs.
“The Greater Atlantic City Chamber of Commerce is looking to get support from municipalities, business entities, and anyone they can get to get this fighter jet in the region,” Ventnor Commissioner Lance Landgraf said when the Board of Commissioners approved the resolution on Feb. 27.
Nearby Margate approved the resolution without comment on March 5.
The 177th was unsuccessful getting the jet on the first round of deliveries, Landgraf said.
“The one they are flying now is the one they were flying when I was in high school. The business created around that plane is huge. It creates jobs and businesses around it to maintain it. The 177th is well set up for it, and we want to make sure the message gets out. They need as much support as we can give them,” he said.
The F-35 Lighting II fighter is designed to collect and analyze data on airborne, surface and ground-based assets, the resolution states.
However, an independent watchdog group, Project on Government Oversight, says the jet has hundreds of design flaws, some of which are not scheduled to be corrected by the manufacturer.
The F-35A Demo Team, led by Capt. Kristin “BEO” Wolfe, is scheduled to perform at 20 airshows around the country this year, including in Yuma, Arizona this weekend.
“I’m here to do a job, and that is to make this team the best out there, inspire people to be better, and the fly the F-35 as hard as I can,” Wolfe said on the team’s Twitter account.
F35A_LightningII_ACC Fact Sheet
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