FAA rejects airspace expansion effort

An F-15E Strike Eagle from the 391st Fighter Squadron deploys countermeasure flares over Afghanistan during a previous deployment. Mountain Home Air Force Base uses the range complex to train U.S. and allied aircrews for combat operations in areas like Southwest Asia. Photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Aaron Allmon

The Federal Aviation Administration has partially rejected an Air Force request to expand the airspace available for training at Mountain Home Air Force Base.

But the failure to obtain all that it asked for should not affect the soon-to-be announced decision on where to locate the first operational units of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, according to Col. Ronald Buckley, 366th Fighter Wing commander.

Buckley noted that the F-35 decision, and the criteria for where to locate the mission, "is based on looking at current facilities and the airspace already out there."

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