F-22 training moving again

The Air Force is permanently moving its its F-22 fighter jet training operation from Florida to Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton, Va. The squadron originally was located at Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City, Fla., before Hurricane Michael heavily damaged the base in 2018. It has been temporarily located at Eglin Air Force Base in Okaloosa County, Fla., to the west of Tyndall and also in the Florida Panhandle. The unit has 31 F-22 fighters and 16 T-38 training aircraft. Bruce Sturk, Hampton’s director of federal facilities support, estimates the squadron’s move will bring a total of 2,100 to 2,200 people to the region. The Air Force has not yet determined when the unit will move. (Sources: AP via Washington Post, WKRG-TV, WTVR-TV, 06/26/21, Stars and Stripes, 06/25/21) The move was expected. In 2019 the Air Force said its preferred base was Langley, though Tyndall and Eglin were still in the running. Previous