Air National Guard Mission Training Center Opens
FLYING RIBBON: Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum, center left, and U.S. representatives cut the ribbon for the National Guard Mission Training Center as military officers and guests participate in the ceremony.
Mayor G.T. Bynum, Adjutant General Michael Thompson, and 138th Fighter Wing Commander Colonel Michael Meason led a ribbon cutting in November at the Air National Guard Mission Training Center, a Vision Tulsa project. U.S. Representatives Kevin Hern and Markwayne Mullin also participated in the event. The training center is located on the Tulsa Air National Guard Base, home of the 138th Fighter Wing.
“Through the Tulsa Air National Guard Mission Training Center, Tulsa voters and taxpayers each have a part in supporting the defense of our country and jobs to strengthen our local economy,” Mayor Bynum said. “We appreciate having the 138th Fighter Wing in our community, and we are proud of these airmen who are working for our safety and protecting our freedom as Americans.”
The 20,000-square-foot Mission Training Center will house four state-of-the-art flight simulators to provide realistic combat training for fighter pilots. The 138th Fighter Wing in Tulsa is the first Air National Guard unit in the country to receive this cutting-edge technology. Only installed at a select few Air Force bases, the Mission Training Center will be a regional training facility – the only one of its kind in the area, with the closest similar facility being in Las Vegas.
This project has been made possible through a federal, state and city partnership. The building was constructed using $9.4 million in Vision Tulsa funds; the State of Oklahoma provided $608,000 for road improvements, and federal funding is providing $25 million for the F-16 simulator systems. Cockpits for the simulators, worth $5 million each, were manufactured locally in Broken Arrow at L3 Technologies.
“Tulsans play a big role in the safety and security of our nation,” said Rep. Kevin Hern. “The opening of the new Air National Guard Mission Training Center in Tulsa points to the strength of our community and the value that Oklahomans add to the defense of the American people. The incredible men and women of the Air National Guard will make Oklahoma, and the nation, proud as they work to stay up-to-date on the technologies and strategies that will keep our people safe.”
Oklahoma architecture firm LWPB (from Norman) designed the facility, and Crossland Construction Co. (from Tulsa) was the construction manager.
During the event, Mayor Bynum also announced the creation of a City-of-Tulsa-led taskforce of government, civic and aerospace leaders to secure Tulsa as the next home for the F-35.
Tulsa’s 138th Fighter Wing is in the running to be selected as one of the next three Air National Guard operating locations in the country that could house the F-35.
