The Air Force said Friday it is asking Congress for new funding to rebuild Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida and put advanced F-35 joint strike fighters there.
The service is already reaching out to lawmakers on Capitol Hill about the plan, which is said could lead to the fifth-generation fighters arriving on the Florida Panhandle in about four to five years.
About 95 percent of Tyndall was damaged by Hurricane Michael in October, including some of the base’s F-22 Raptor fighter jets that were unable to fly. The Raptors raised questions about the readiness of the Air Force fleet and led to a relocation of those jets.
“We have recommended that the best path forward to increase readiness and use money wisely is to consolidate the operational F-22s formerly at Tyndall in Alaska, Hawaii, and Virginia, and make the decision now to put the next three squadrons of F-35s beyond those for which we have already made decisions at Tyndall,” Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said in a statement.
The Air Force did not immediately respond to questions about how much money it is seeking from Congress for the work.
An initial assessment found Tyndall, which is just south of Panama City, could host up to three squadrons of F-35s, which are already slated to be based in eight states including Florida.
The Air Force said new supplemental funding would allow the base to be rebuilt “in a tailored way” to accommodate the jets, which are billed as the world’s most advanced fighter jet.
