WESTFIELD (TNS) — The Secretary of the Air Force has signed off on stationing F-35 jets at Barnes Air National Guard Base and the National Guard’s 104th Fighter Wing.

The signature of Biden appointee Frank Kendall III on a record of decision closes a yearlong environmental review and achieves a bureaucratic milestone just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House with a new group of Pentagon leaders.

State Sen. John C. Velis, D- Westfield, announced the signing Friday.

“I am beyond thrilled that the Secretary of the Air Force has finalized the assignment of the F-35As to the 104th Fighter Wing, ensuring that the 104th remains a critical piece of our country’s national defense strategy for decades to come,” Velis said in a statement. “This final signature is the product of the Commonwealth’s steadfast dedication to remain one of the best states in the nation for our service members and families to call home.”

Pilots and ground crews are already training. The first F-35 is expected to arrive in June 2026.

The Air Force announced plans nearly two years ago in April 2023 to base 18 of its latest-generation F-35 fighters at the 104th Fighter Wing, guaranteeing the Westfield base’s role in the nation’s air defense and in the city’s economy for decades. A single F-35 costs about $78 million.

The move also brings with it about $55 million in military-funded construction at the base including upgraded runways and taxiways. It also means Westfield will keep its air traffic controllers, an amenity that keeps Gulfstream’s maintenance facility and its employees in Westfield.

U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee along with former Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican who now serves as president of the NCAA, and current Gov. Maura Healey all lobbied for the planes to come to Westfield for years.

But the F-35 program has its detractors and Trump advisor Elon Musk has reportedly called for the planes to be scrapped. The average age of the existing fleet of F-15C Eagles is nearly 40. The 104th has been donating them to museums as it prepares now for the transition.

The 104th has 1,000 part-time traditional Guard members and approximately 500 full-time members.

Supporters say the decision will not only secure the Guard unit’s future but should also be a boon for the future of the municipal airport. Together, the airport and its tenants have an about $138.5 million payroll and a total economic impact of $236 million per year. The airport is responsible directly and indirectly for about 2,100 jobs, some 1,100 of which are at the Guard.

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