U.S. Military Plans $7 Billion Fighter Campus at Alaska Base After Current Facilities Fall Short

The U.S. military released new details on the Fightertown Recapitalization Program, a roughly $7 billion effort to construct a new fighter campus at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. A special notice from the U.S.

Army Corps of Engineers announced a virtual industry day scheduled for June 30 to brief contractors on scope, risks, and acquisition strategies. Existing airfield facilities at the base cannot support the program's requirements, according to the notice.

The effort adopts a complete campus approach that synchronizes facility construction with aircraft procurement, personnel movements, and logistics.

The campus will include aircraft hangars, squadron operations facilities, corrosion control facilities, maintenance shops, taxiways, aprons, a munitions complex, petroleum operations facilities, training centers, simulators, and housing for unaccompanied airmen.

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

The Alaska Air National Guard’s 176th Wing is also based there and flies C-17s, HC-130 rescue aircraft, and HH-60 helicopters. In 2023 the Air Force created the 55th Operations Group, Detachment 1 at the base to support RC-135V/W Rivet Joint operations. One runway was previously extended in a separate project to accommodate larger aircraft.