Task Force Wants F-35 Wing Based At Tulsa

State and local leaders are forming a task force in hopes of getting the Pentagon to base F-35 "Lightning II" fighters at Tulsa's Air National Guard base.

Oklahoma National Guard and Tulsa officials will formally announce the task force Friday at the base at Tulsa International Airport. 

Tulsa's 138th Fighter Wing has flown the F-16C/D "Fighting Falcon" since 1993. In that time it's supported numerous operations in the Middle East and elsewhere.

The U.S. Air Force plans to remove the F-16 from its fleet between 2026 and 2030, replacing it with the F-35.  

The Oklahoma National Guard says the Air Force has not said where it will base the F-35s, but the task force is being formed to lobby for the placement of an F-35 air wing in Tulsa.

Members of the task force include the Lt. Governor Todd Lamb, Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett as well as Oklahoma National Guard officials.

Lockheed Martin information on the F-35