TYNDALL AFB (PANAMA CITY, FL) TO RECEIVE F-22 OPERATIONAL SQUARDRON

It is still happening, the U.S. Military continues to target the Panhandle of Florida as a major area of influence in our national defense. Some might know, the working relationship between Eglin AFB and Tyndall AFB has and will continue to be a center for Operational, Training, and Testing of military programs. Some in the business call this the trifecta. You win this, and your future is secure for quite some time. Oh yea, I bet the Panama City International Airport didn't hurt in this matter!!! I bet some military construction is coming their way.


First of new jets will arrive in 2012; squadron will bring in 600 jobs
By DANIEL CARSON, Florida Freedom Newspapers

TYNDALL AFB — It was the news Bay County officials were hoping for: A new mission — and jobs — are headed to Tyndall Air Force Base. Tyndall’s future will include the addition of a new F-22 Raptor squadron, officials announced this week. The base will receive 21 new fighter jets as part of the Air Force’s consolidation of its F-22 fleet. Rep. Allen Boyd, D-Monticello, said the Air Force’s decision to add an operational squadron to the base’s existing F-22 combat training mission will mean almost 600 more personnel at the base. The new squadron stemmed from government and local civic leaders’ continued efforts to secure Tyndall a follow-on mission, Boyd said. The announcement Thursday comes months after Tyndall started to draw down its two F-15 squadrons as part of an Air Force-wide restructuring plan. “I’m very pleased today that we can celebrate achieving this very important goal,” Boyd said. He praised the work of the Bay Defense Alliance and other Bay County officials to bring the squadron to Tyndall. Boyd said the first F-22s will arrive toward the end of 2012. He said it would take about six months to get all of the F-22s on the base. Bay County leaders, as well as U.S. Sens. Bill Nelson and George LeMieux, welcomed the news. Panama City Mayor Scott Clemons called it a needed shot in the arm to the area’s economy. “I was hoping we were going to hear this,” Clemons said. The addition of another F-22 squadron secures Tyndall’s future for a long time, Bay Defense Alliance officials said. “I can’t tell you how much this means for the community,” member Glen McDonald said. Boyd first announced in May that Tyndall was one of four bases in the running for additional F-22 Raptors. Boyd said Thursday that Tyndall had received the maximum number of jets possible and the most of any of the bases under consideration, as the Air Force looks to consolidate F-22 facilities from six to five. An Air Force announcement Thursday listed Holloman Air Force Base, N.M.; Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska; Langley Air Force Base, Va.; and Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., as other bases affected by the F-22 consolidation. Holloman will deactivate one F-22 squadron and redistribute that squadron’s aircraft to other units, while relocating a remaining F-22 squadron to Tyndall, according to the Air Force. Elmendorf and Langley each will pick up six F-22s, with Nellis receiving two. The moves are contingent on completion of appropriate environmental analyses.