No strike fighter, but Holloman gets F-16s

HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE — Holloman Air Force Base wasn’t selected Thursday as a home for the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, but the Air Force says the base near Alamogordo instead will be receiving two F-16 training squadrons.

Air Force officials say making Holloman into an F-16 training site offers a stable facility for a continuing mission and takes advantage of existing airspace and range sites. It also offers the opportunity for combined training with unmanned drone aircraft already assigned at Holloman.

Holloman’s 49th Wing commander, Col. David Krumm, says the base’s personnel are looking forward to the assignment. He says Holloman has “a long history of training world-class fighter pilots in some of our nation’s most complex weapons systems.”

The new mission is subject to completion of an environmental analysis.