VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Navy is moving forward with an environmental impact statement as it considers home-basing F-35C Joint Strike Fighter aircraft at Naval Air Station Oceana, a shift that would replace the installation’s existing F/A-18 squadrons.
The service is evaluating two locations for the transition: NAS Oceana in Virginia Beach or Naval Air Station Lemoore in California.
The proposal calls for converting seven existing F/A-18 squadrons into F-35 units, bringing roughly 70 F-35Cs to one of the Navy’s master jet bases over a 10-year period. The project would also require constructing or modifying facilities to support the aircraft.
To move forward, the Navy must complete an environmental impact statement and is asking the public to share concerns or comments during a 30-day input period…