Air Force chooses Oregon base as third flight school for F-35A pilot training

The Air Force plans to base 26 F-35A fighters at Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base. A Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II multirole fighter flies over Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., on March 21, 2026. Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base in Klamath Falls, Ore., has been chosen as the third F-35A pilot training base, joining Luke AFB and Eglin AFB in Florida. (Nicholas Rupiper/U.S. Air Force) Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base in Klamath Falls, Ore., will be the third Air Force pilot training center for the F-35A Lightning II, the Air Force said this week. The base is home to the 173rd Fighter Wing of the Oregon Air National Guard and has trained F-15 Eagle pilots.

Air Force Secretary Troy Meink signed the record of decision on Oct. 5. F-35A pilot training is already based at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., and Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The Air Force plans to base 26 F-35A fighters at the airfield in southwestern Oregon. The first of Lockheed Martin’s fifth-generation fighters will arrive in 2027, with the transfers completed in 2029. The base will add about 30 personnel as it shifts its mission, the Air Force said. “Every pilot we graduate from Kingsley represents combat capability that can be delivered to an operational squadron,” Col. Adam Gaudinski, 173rd Fighter Wing