By Jeanette DeForge | jdeforge@repub.com
WESTFIELD — In a matter of weeks, the first of the F-35 fighter planes built for 104th Fighter Wing will be arriving, bringing with them some of the most sophisticated technology the U.S. Air Force offers.
The planes that are already seen flying in the skies in Western Massachusetts are on loan from other bases in Texas, Alabama, Florida and other locations, borrowed to give pilots and crew a chance to learn how to fly, fix and maintain them. The first that will permanently based at Barnes Air National Guard Air Base should arrive at the start of the federal fiscal year in October, said Col. Michael P. Glass, commander of the 104th.
“I’ve been lucky enough to fly the F-35 for almost a year and a half,” he said. “There is certainly still a (learning) curve but the Air Force does an outstanding providing a very detailed curriculum that allows us to go through that course and come out prepared to fly it.”
The roughly $90 million jets are expected to roar into Westfield two or so at a time every month until the base has the 20 it expects to fly for years to come, Glass said.
On Sunday, nearly 3,000 people gathered inside a hangar at the base for a 75-minute event Sunday celebrating the impending arrival of the jets that will ensure the base stays open, guaranteeing that the 1,000 Air National Guardsmen positions and additional 1,100 jobs at and around Barnes remain.
A flyover with the plane to celebrate the new chapter of the 104th was canceled because of the rainy weather Sunday.
In addition to Glass, Maj. Gen. Gary W. Keefe, head of the Massachusetts National Guard; Gen. Steven Nordhaus, chief of the National Guard Bureau; Gov. Maura Healey; Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll; U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal; and state Sen. John Velis were joined by state military partners from Paraguay and Kenya, Westfield city councilors, multiple military officials and hundreds of members of the 104th and their families.
They talked about the decade of careful negotiations needed to win the chance to bring what is considered the most technologically advanced fighter jet to Westfield. The 104th is one of only five Air National Guard units in the country that will fly the plane.
“This was certainly a team effort,” Neal said. “Part of our strategy here … and (for Chicopee’s) Westover is to make sure they have the necessary resources to get through what is known as base closure commissions.”
Neal said he pledged to work toward the effort even though he thought it might be a longshot at first. He was carefully coached through multiple stages by National Guard officials on how to handle the federal scrutiny given to each proposal.
He wasn’t alone. Mayor Michael McCabe said he was surprised how much weight the city had in the decision. That meant a lot of meetings and conversations to gain the support needed for the new jets.
For Healey and Gov. Charlie Baker who came before her, it meant investing a total of $55 million into the base.
Officials also created initiatives such as the Military Asset and Security Strategy Task Force, which helps the state invest in the six military bases to prevent them from becoming vulnerable to federal cuts, policies that make it easier for spouses of military members to transfer professional licenses from one state to another when they transfer and an act to promote the involvement of Massachusetts businesses and universities in the defense industry.
“Massachusetts is going to be and remain a leader in national defense because we do put politics aside. This is about America, about country, it is about freedom. We know the mission,” Healey said.
Healey said while the technology is impressive it is another tool, like the state’s creation of the National Guard and the Coast Guard to protect the region, deter threats and ensure Massachusetts will continue to play an important role in keeping the country safe.
“We are also the birthplace of a distinctly American idea that government belongs to the people and freedom is always worth defending that ordinary citizens come together, take responsibility for one another and build something extraordinary,” Healey said.
One of the biggest upcoming investments will be the need to have $30 million simulator at the base since pilots use for about 65% of their training, Keefe said.
“I wouldn’t say it is more difficult than the F-15 but it is more automated and there is more technology involved and a lot of the training that you have to do in this airframe has to be done on a simulator,” he said. “That and there is a lot of classified information on it and even the skin around the plane is totally different.”
The 104th is waiting for federal funding to build a simulator of its own. For now, pilots are mainly training on the equipment in Burlington, Vermont owned by the 158th Fighter Wing, he said.
But it isn’t just the technology. Keefe said the military across the board needs more people to step up and serve and to offer benefits, new equipment and other incentives to encourage those already in the military to stay.
Without the new F-35s, “this base would have closed. That means a lot of jobs and a lot of money being pumped into Western Massachusetts would certainly have dried up,” he said.
