Selfridge Air National Guard Base to get $150M in upgrades

Upgrades coming to Selfridge Air National Guard Base

Planned improvements include shifting and extending the runway, adjusting taxiways and lighting and creating a safer flight corridor away from nearby residential areas.

HARRISON TWP., Mich. (FOX 2) - A big push in on for more than $100 million in upgrades at Selfridge Air National Guard Base so it can support a new mission with F-15EX fighter jets.

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Typically, funding includes a litany of improvements, but this is especially focused. State funding for runway and facility improvements at Selfridge Air National Guard Base.

It would total an expected investment of $152 million in upgrades are expected to support a new fighter jet mission that will replace the base’s aging A10 Thunderbolt II aircraft.

"For security reasons, having a fighter jet mission in Michigan speaks for itself," said State Rep. Ron Robinson, (R-Utica).

The new aircraft are expected to be Boeing F 15EX Eagle II jets.

The base has to update its infrastructure because the current runways and facilities were designed for the smaller planes.

Planned improvements include shifting and extending the runway, adjusting taxiways and lighting and creating a safer flight corridor away from nearby residential areas.

Additional upgrades such as training facilities, weapons storage and other support infrastructure are also planned to support the expanded mission.

The news happens against the backdrop of the fighting between the US, Israel and Iran continues to escalate across the region.

The conflict began after a series of large-scale strikes that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior officials, triggering retaliation and expanding military operations across the Middle East.

"This is not just about Iran this is about national security from a strategic standpoint will be beneficial before President Trump leaves office," Robinson said.
 
He said the new fighter mission protects thousands of military and civilian jobs and helps sustain an estimated $850 million in annual economic impact for Michigan.

Speaker Matt Hall said the state is investing now rather than waiting on federal funding so the project can move forward more quickly.