Holloman AFB to take on F-16 training

WASHINGTON (KRQE) - Holloman Air Force Base may not have been selected to house the first squadrons of F-35 Lightning fighters, but an announcement later Thursday said the base will add training F-16 pilots to its mission.

The base, however, will lose two F-22 Raptor squadrons over the next two or three years, according to a later news release from the office of Gov. Bill Richardson. During that time 48 of the F-16 fighters will move to Holloman.

“This is a good move for Holloman, as the Air Force has robust plans to utilize the F-16 fighter jets and their training mission through 2030,” Richardson said in the statement.

“Our expectations are that the economic impact of the new training mission at Holloman will actually be higher than that of the two Raptor squadrons.”

Earlier Thursday the Air Force said it had selected Luke Air Force Base outside Phoenix as the preferred site for the first squadrons of F-35 fighters.

Holloman near Alamogordo had been one of 11 bases around the country in the running to become home to the Joint Strike Fighter.

If the Air Force makes the decision final as expected early next year, three squadrons of F-35s would be based a Luke. Luke is currently the largest F-16 fighter and training base.

Holloman's 49th Wing has recently added the F-22 Raptor and Predator and Reaper drones to its flight line.