MADISON, Wis. — The 115th Fighter Wing awarded the first of 19 military construction contracts to a local building company ahead of the F-35 conversion in Madison.
According to a news release, J.H. Findorff & Sons will assist with the construction. The project is slated to begin in May and will include demolishing a 4,646 square foot facility to make room for a 19,000 square foot F-35 flight simulator facility. The project is estimated to take 18 months to complete and will cost $9 million.
“These full mission simulators are going to be a critical component of the F-35 mission,” said Lt. Col. Charles Merkel, vice commander of the 115th Fighter Wing. “They will be used for both initial pilot training and continuation training for as long as the F-35 is assigned to the unit.”
Unit leadership said the simulator and training could potentially reduce the number of aircraft takeoffs and landings once the F-35s arrive in Madison.
“Being able to fly in a virtual environment is a huge step towards the success of the F-35,” said Col. Bart Van Roo, commander of the 115th Fighter Wing. “We’re thrilled that we can move forward on our first F-35 project with a company like Findorff who has a long history in the city of Madison.”
Findorff has completed numerous other projects at the base, including last year’s renovation of the squadron operations facility and construction of a communications facility in 2009.
The state Department of Military Affairs said the unit will award a total of roughly $100 million in construction projects at the base for the F-35 Lightning II bed down.
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