U.S. Military Details $7 Billion Plan to Build New Fighter Facilities at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson

The U.S. military has released new details on a $7 billion Fightertown Recapitalization Program at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. The program will create a new fighter hub to support operations in the Arctic and Pacific regions.

A special notice from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced a virtual industry day scheduled for June 30. The event will brief contractors on the program scope and collect feedback on construction risks, industry capabilities, and acquisition strategies.

Existing airfield facilities at JBER cannot support the program requirements. The effort will follow a complete campus approach that synchronizes facility construction with aircraft procurement, personnel movements, and logistical requirements. The campus will include aircraft hangars, squadron operations facilities, corrosion control facilities, maintenance shops, new taxiways, aprons, shoulders, specialized operating surfaces, a munitions complex, petroleum operations facilities, warehousing, dining facilities, visitor control infrastructure, firefighting facilities, training centers, simulators, and housing for unaccompanied airmen.

The program will use authorities provided in the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, including Other Transaction Authority and Progressive Design-Build methods. JBER hosts the headquarters of the 11th Air Force and the 3rd Wing, which operates F-22 Raptor stealth fighters, E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft, C-17 Globemaster III airlifters, and C-12 light utility aircraft.

The base is also home to the Alaska Air National Guard’s 176th Wing, which operates C-17s, HC-130 Combat King rescue aircraft, and HH-60 rescue helicopters.