New Jets will bring $242M in construction,751 more personnel to Lemoore

John Lindt

9:22 p.m. PDT May 18, 2014

On May 15, the U.S. Navy published a Notice of Availability in the Federal Register concerning the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the West Coast home basing of the F-35C aircraft. The report that will be made final after a 30-day comment period selects Lemoore over El Centro as their preferred alternative for the basing of the jets.

“This alternative best meets mission requirements; optimizes operational efficiencies related to personnel, training, and logistics support functions; maximizes the reuse of existing facilities and minimizes the need for new construction; and preserves NAF El Centro as a valuable training asset,” states the report

The report states: “The purpose of the proposed action is to replace aging Navy Pacific Fleet FA-18 Hornet aircraft with F-35C aircraft while meeting pilot training and readiness requirements. Facility development needed to support F-35C homebasing may begin as early as 2015. Seven Pacific Fleet FA- 18 squadrons (70 total aircraft) currently based at Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore would progressively transition to the new F-35C aircraft beginning in 2015 with the transition to be complete by 2028.”

The plan would also involve the establishment no earlier than 2017 of an F-35C Fleet Replacement Squadron consisting of approximately 30 F-35C aircraft to meet the requirements for training Navy pilots.

Aircraft loading at NAS Lemoore would increase by 30 aircraft.

The F-35C is a single-engine aircraft, equipped with state-of-the art technology that makes it more difficult to detect on radar, and capable of greater communication with other airborne and ground-based units. The Navy version can fly off aircraft carriers.

Big spending, 751 more personnel

Under this plan, proposed construction at NAS Lemoore includes 16 projects: five training facilities, 10 operations and maintenance facilities, and one personnel support facility. Building 21, an operational storage facility, would be demolished to accommodate the layout of proposed new facilities and infrastructure.

In addition, two projects would be required at NAF El Centro to accommodate F-35C squadrons from NAS Lemoore conducting detachment training operations at NAF El Centro: interior hangar renovations and a Special Access Program Facility.

Approximately 1.6 million square feet of construction, expansion, and modification projects would be required. The total cost for all the projects at NAS Lemoore and the two projects at NAF El Centro is estimated to be $242 million.

Proposed construction would be phased over multiple years, with several projects beginning in 2015 and the last project starting around 2025. The total area that would be disturbed by construction at NAS Lemoore is approximately 58 acres.

The preferred plan would result in an increase of 751 military and contractor/civilian personnel at NAS Lemoore. Unlike Alternative 1, Alternative 2 would not require any changes in personnel at NAF El Centro because there would be no change in the mission or the number of aircraft supported at NAF El Centro.

Personnel who are currently supporting aging FA-18 squadrons at NAS Lemoore would remain at NAS Lemoore while transitioning to F-35C squadrons. Based on this increase of military and contractor/civilian personnel, there would be an increase of approximately 1,569 dependents (1,145 military dependents and 424 contractor/civilian dependents). Overall it would result in an increase of approximately 2,320 persons (751 military, contractor/civilian personnel and 1,569 dependents) in the Lemoore area by 2028.

http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/story/news/local/2014/05/19/new-jets-will-bring-m-construction-personnel-lemoore/9269937/