Selfridge Looking To Land F-35 Jet Fighter Program

HARRISON TWP (WWJ) - Operators of Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Macomb County are making their pitch to the US Air Force to become the home to the next generation F-35 fighter jet program.

Selfridge Air National Guard Base is in contention with several other cities around the country to become home to the program.

In the running are bases in Boise, Idaho - Madison, Wisconsin - Montgomery, Alabama, and Jacksonville, Florida all looking to land the next generation fighter jet program.

Gen. Commander Doug Slocum telling WWJ's Jon Hewett that an Air Force contingent of nearly 40 people were on the grounds of Selfridge Tuesday to verify and validate the base's ability to host the jet fighter in the future.

"They are going to take that information back to the decision-makers in Washington, D.C. -- later this summer they are going to take it all, put it together - talk their strategic reasoning and they're going to come up with an answer and choose two of those five bases and I'm very confident that Selfridge is going to be on the list."

Slocum says Selfridge is ready to provide 100 percent of the necessary training. He says, "making it the clear choice for the F-35 in the future."

If the base in Macomb County is selected than planes would not arrive until 2022.