Friday, November 25, 2011

First Joint Strike Fighter hangar under way at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma

Steel workers attach the highest piece of steel to the world's first operational Joint Strike Fighter hangar, Nov. 20. The beam was first signed by key personnel to the construction project, before being hoisted in place with a crane.
Marine Corps Air Station Yuma

Col. Robert Kuckuk, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma commanding officer, talks to participants in the topping off ceremony Nov. 20. The project, which would normally taking upward of 18 months to complete, is scheduled to take only 10 months and be completed in March 2012.
Marine Corps Air Station Yuma

Steel workers attach the highest piece of steel to the world's first operational Joint Strike Fighter hangar, Nov. 20. Just one month ago, there was nothing but footings sticking out of the ground at the construction site. This hangar is the first of four slated to be built in Yuma.
Marine Corps Air Station Yuma

The final steel beam for the world's first operational Joint Strike Fighter hangar has been hoisted into place during a traditional topping-off ceremony at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma.

The beam, bearing the signatures of base leaders and several key members of the construction team, was lifted high into the air by a crane and then carefully lowered and guided into place. Once done, it marked the completion of the frame structure of the aircraft hangar.

“It was a big milestone,” said Lt. Commander Angelique McBee, resident officer in charge of construction at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma. “There is a lot of construction going on currently at the air station.”

Base leaders and key personnel to the construction project said the Monday ceremony symbolized the dedication of both the government and contractors as they continue to work to finish this project. Just one month ago, there was nothing but footings sticking out of the ground.

The hangar, which costs $36 million and would normally take about 18 months to build, is expected to be completed in 10 months, and in use by March. McBee said that the air station is on a tight timeline to coincide with the first arrival of the first F-35s in Yuma.

As the future home of the first F-35 Joint Strike Fighters in the country, MCAS Yuma will get five squadrons each with 16 aircraft, and one operational test and evaluation squadron of eight aircraft. The 88 aircraft will replace Yuma's four existing squadrons of 56 AV-8B Harriers.

McBee said Pittsburgh-based DCK Worldwide is the general contractor for the project and has hired about 120 to 135 local workers for the projects.

Ground was symbolically broken for the hangar in June as part of $150 million worth of construction projects that will be taking place at the air station in the coming years.

In addition to the F-35 hangar that is currently being built, other projects slated to be built during this first round of construction include a JSF simulator building, upgrades to communications and utilities infrastructure and a second hangar.

The F-35 will also eventually replace the AV-8B aircraft based in North Carolina and the F-18 Hornets based in California, South Carolina and Japan, becoming the Marine Corps' sole fixed-wing attack aircraft.

The Joint Strike Fighter will also allow the Marine Corps the capability to turn every one of its amphibious big deck ships into aircraft carriers, which essentially doubles the number of carriers the nation currently has scattered throughout the oceans of the world.

The first F-35 pilots were scheduled to begin arriving at MCAS Yuma this month, while the first F-35 JSF aircraft is on track for September 2012.

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