Tyndall Air Force Base rebuilding and bringing in new aviation

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - The Bay County Chamber of Commerce hosted its first fully in-person First Friday program in July. The program featured officials discussing the rebuild project of Tyndall Air Force Base.

“So the base rebuild will take five to seven years we will have a top-line between 3,000 and 3,500 contractors working on the base during the rebuild,” Glen McDonald, the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Economic Development at Gulf Coast State College, said.

The $4.9 billion projects to rebuild the base came after the damage Hurricane Michael left behind.

“They are all built to Miami-Dade South Florida wind standards they are all going to be elevated the new structures. They are going to be able to withstand the weather in the future and hurricanes in the future. They are going to look brand new,” McDonald said.

Tyndall is well known for flying the F-22 Raptors but in 2023 the Air Force base will be home to the F-35 Lightning II Jets. There is no timeline on when the training for the F-22 Raptors will end at Tyndall at this time according to Air Force officials.

Construction efforts are expected to peak in 2024. There are 44 projects that are planned or already underway. The base will feature 121 new facilities.

“This community has been through a lot with the hurricane and with COVID. It is very nice to see our nation investing in our future and in their national defense.”

The overall investment to improve the “Base of the Future” will also uplift the economy in Bay County, officials say.

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