Terre Haute Community Leaders, Elected Officials Publicly Endorse Air Force F-35 Project
Today, a group of community leaders, including higher education representatives, community and business leaders and elected officials officially expressed their unequivocal support of Terre Haute Regional Airport’s Hulman Field as the site of the U.S. Air Force’s F-35 Foreign Military Sales Training Center.
Last month, it was announced that Hulman Field is one of five sites being considered for the training mission. The center would be used to train international pilots on the F-35, a fifth-generation stealth fighter jet and could accommodate up to 36 of the aircraft.
“The Terre Haute Regional Airport is fully equipped for this project,” stated Airport Director Jeff Hauser. “We have two long runways, lots of available airspace and a supportive community.”
In an event at the Terre Haute Regional Airport, Mayor Duke Bennett presented the Indiana Adjutant General, Brigadier General R. Dale Lyles, with an official packet of support from the West Central Indiana Defense Network. This includes marketing materials outlining Terre Haute and West Central Indiana’s many defense-related assets, as well as letters of support from local businesses, community leaders, elected officials, higher education institutions and organizations who are in support of the project.
“This is an incredible opportunity for our community and I am beyond excited to show the Adjutant General exactly how excited we are about this opportunity,” stated Mayor Bennett. “The associated growth with this project could be a game-changer for Terre Haute and we stand ready to support this project and the Indiana National Guard in whatever way we can.”
The Training Center could potentially include associated economic development, especially in the defense-specific manufacturing industry.
“The West Central Indiana Defense Network was created a few years ago under the umbrella of the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce to engage in opportunities just like this.” explained Kristin Craig, Chamber President. “We are constantly staying in contact with the state on all things defense-related and are ready to quickly rally our community when needed.”
While the community support of the project is still growing, letters of support have been received from a wide variety of entities, including:
- Mayor Duke Bennett
- Members of the Terre Haute City Council
- Vigo County Commissioners
- Terre Haute Regional Airport
- Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce
- West Central 2025
- Joint letter from West Central Indiana Higher Education Institutions (DePauw, ISU, Ivy Tech, Rose-Hulman and SMWC)
- Joint letter from Statewide Higher Education Institutions (Purdue, Rose-Hulman and University of Notre Dame)
More information is available at wcidefense.com, including a downloadable marketing piece with information about all the assets West Central Indiana has to offer.
About the West Central Indiana Defense Network
Created in 2018 under the umbrella of the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce, the West Central Indiana Defense Network is charged with maintaining a constant connection with the fast-moving and ever-changing defense dialogue. We are constantly staying in contact with the state on all things defense-related. Comprised of community leaders, including representatives of business, government and non-profit sectors, the Defense Network works to showcase the incredible assets that Terre Haute and West Central Indiana has to offer and coordinate community response to defense-related economic opportunities. For more information, visit wcidefense.com.
