187th Fighter Wing discusses active shooter training, new jets

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - National and local forces are working together to make Montgomery and the nation safer. A staged active shooting was hosted by the 187th Fighter Wing, and the Montgomery Police Department’s SWAT unit got to take part.

They were tested on how they responded. which they do regularly.

“Until you exercise those agreements and actually put them into practice, you don’t know what you have or what you’re dealing with, and so we like to do that from time to time just to make sure those processes continue to work as planned,” said Jay Spohn, deputy commander for the 187th Fighter Wing.

Spohn says working together makes both forces stronger.

Now, the unit will be even stronger with the transition from F-16 to F-35 jets.

“It’s a huge transition. It takes us from a very capable, what we call legacy airplane in the F-16, still a very capable fighter, to absolutely the cutting edge of the United States Air Force, United States military’s combat power,” said Spohn.

According to Sphon, the F-35 is more technically advanced, allowing pilots to focus more on the battle at task.

“The flying of the airplane gets easier. It becomes more automated, the computers are able to do more things and take a lot of the tasks out the hands of the pilot,” he said.

The F-35 jets are expected to arrive in December, but much construction and training is to be had.

Spohn said the base will be fully functional by 2026.

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