Celebrating his 100th day in office, President Donald Trump, during a visit to Michigan on April 29, announced that Selfridge Air National Guard Base would receive 21 F-15EX fighter jets, which will assure the base’s future.
“This is where they’re going to be for a long time,” Trump said, touting the fighters as “brand new.”
The base’s A-10 “Thunderbolt II” aircraft are being phased out and Michigan political leaders from both parties have lobbied the federal government for a new fighter mission to ensure the future of the base. Without a new fighter mission, the base may have closed, taking nearly $1 billion in economic activity from Macomb County.
Maj. Gen. Paul Rogers, adjutant general of the Michigan National Guard, credited Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for securing a new mission and said he expects the new planes to start arriving in 2028.
Whitmer’s office estimates that the base, in Macomb County’s Harrison Township, has an $850 million impact on Michigan’s economy and supports about 30,000 jobs in the state.
What to know about Selfridge Air National Guard base and the new fighters.
What is Selfridge Air National Guard Base?
Selfridge is home to more than 40 commands, including components of the U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Customs & Border Protection, the base’s website notes. In total, nearly 3,000 full-time civilian and military personnel work at the base, in addition to approximately 3,000 members of the Air and Army National Guard and the Reserve components of the U.S. Armed Forces.
The base was founded during World War I.
What units are assigned to Selfridge?
Major units assigned to the base include:
Coast Guard Air Station Detroit
Naval Reserve Center-Detroit
1st Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment
Marine Wing Support Squadron 471-Det B
Border Patrol Detroit Sector
Joint-Reserve Intelligence Support Element, European Command
Joint Combat Support Systems
Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 26
2nd Battalion, 337th Regiment
Army Aviation Support Facility No. 2, Michigan Army National Guard
Customs and Border Protection Great Lakes Air & Marine Wing
What aircraft fly from Selfridge?
Aircraft assigned to the base include the A-10 Thunderbolt II and KC-135 Stratotanker (Michigan Air National Guard); CH-47 Chinook helicopter (Michigan Army National Guard); HH-65 Dolphin helicopter (U.S. Coast Guard); and a variety of light helicopters and fixed wing aircraft (Customs & Border Protection), according to the base’s website.
What is happening to Selfridge’s A-10 jets?
The Air Force is retiring its fleet of 1970s-era A-10 jets. Selfridge is home to 21 A-10s.
The first production A-10A was delivered to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, in October 1975. The upgraded A-10C reached initial operation capability in September 2007.
The Air Force wants to retire all A-10s by 2029.
Is the Air Force replacing any other aircraft?
In January 2024, officials announced Selfridge Air National Guard Base will be home to a new squadron of 12 KC-46A refueling tanker aircraft. The new tankers, scheduled to arrive by 2029, will replace eight KC-135 planes as the Air Force retires its fleet.
The Air Force has been using KC-135 Stratotankers since the 1950s. The new KC-46A Pegasus tanker, also made by Boeing, has greater refueling capability and space for cargo and aeromedical evacuation than the KC-135 and can take off at gross weights of up to 415,000 pounds, compared with 322,500 for the earlier aircraft.
What is the F-15EX fighter plane?
The F-15EX is an advanced version of Boeing’s air-superiority fighter. It lacks stealth, but it’s faster, has more range and a significantly larger payload capacity, and is cheaper to operate than the F-35A Lightning II, the company said.
The base’s A-10s will be replaced by 21 new F-15EX fighters.
Boeing says the planes have a 29,500-pound payload and it can fire on enemies from farther away than any other plane in the U.S. arsenal. It can carry up to 12 AMRAAM missiles or other large ordnance.
The Air Force says the plane is a two-crewmember, all-weather fighter with pulse-Doppler radar that can look up at high-flying targets and down at low-flying targets without being confused by ground clutter.
The planes are nearly 43 feet from wingtip to wingtip, and 63 feet long. They stand 18.5 feet tall and weigh 31,700 pounds.
The jets can fly 1,875 mph, with a range of 3,450 miles and a ceiling of 65,000 feet, according to Air Force information.
The original single-seat F-15 jets went into service in 1975.
— The Detroit Free Press contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Selfridge National Guard base to get new fighters. What’s planned for base