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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Utah's Hill Air Force Base is among six sites selected to house the next generation of fighter jets, the supersonic, stealth F-35.
Known as the Joint Strike Fighter, the F-35 is a single-seat, supersonic aircraft used in a variety of missions, including air-to-air combat and ground attacks. It's set to come on line in 2009 and eventually replace the F-16 fighters.
"It's the airplane of the future, the fighter jet of the future," said Rick Mayfield, executive director of the Utah Defense Alliance, a nonprofit group that has worked to secure Hill's presence in Davis County.
The Air Force said it plans to place F-35 wings at Hill and bases in Florida, Nevada, California, South Carolina and Japan.
Hill and Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina will have operation squadrons with active and reserve duty personnel, the Air Force said.
U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, said the decision "secures Hill's future for the long term" as a base with a variety of missions, including repair and maintenance.
Hill is Utah's largest military installation and the economic base for much of northern Utah, particularly Davis and Weber counties, with 24,000 employees. The base contributes an estimated $4 billion to the state's economy.
"Hill won this because of their abilities and because of the caliber of people who are working there," said Bishop, whose district includes the base.
He believes the Air Force considered several factors, including proximity to the Utah Test and Training Range, a high number of "good flying days," and support from the community and state.
Hill houses many operational and support missions through the Ogden Air Logistics Center, which provides engineering and logistics management to weapons systems, including intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Several F-16 fighter wings also call the base home.
The Air Force will conduct an environmental analysis, a process that could take up to two years, spokesman Lt. Col. Ed Thomas said from the Pentagon.
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On the Net: Hill Air Force Base: http://www.hill.af.mil/main
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
