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Bishop Praises Decision to Maintain F-22 Fighters at Hill AFB

Courtesy of the U.S. Department of Defense

Utah Republican Congressman Rob Bishop is praising an Air Force decision to move a major maintenance operation to Hill Air Force Base. 

Air Force officials announced this week that they will move much of the maintenance work for the F-22 Raptor aircraft from Lockheed Martin in California to Hill.  The plan is expected to save sixteen million dollars annually in redundant costs.  Republican Rob Bishop represents Utah’s first congressional district which includes Hill Air Force Base.  He says the move will strengthen the local economy and help Hill avoid potential cutbacks from the Base Realignment and Closure or BRAC Commission.

"It brings 200 very good jobs into Hill Air Force Base. It almost doubles the amount who are working on the F-22 that will be on the base, and it also helps us if there were ever to be a BRAC again. Because it is another major assignment that is unique to Hill and that will be done at Hill," says Congressman Bishop.

Officials at Hill Air Force Base say the Ogden Air Logistics Complex will maintain 36 F-22 Raptors by 2015.  That’s three times the numbers of fighter jets currently being serviced.

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