More than a dozen F-15 fighter jets are joining the usual runway activity at Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee, Massachusetts. The jets are normally based a few miles west at Barnes Airport in Westfield. The runway there is undergoing repairs. Lieutenant Colonel James Bishop says the F-15s can go supersonic.
“These are big fighters and they’ll take off sometimes in multiple ship formations,” Bishop says. “And so for the four to six months that they’re expected to be here it will be noisier in the area. Some of the surrounding towns you’ll hear them coming in and going out particularly.”
Bishop says the jets will fly training missions in the area. They will also be used for a security mission on Cape Cod. He says keeping them in Western Massachusetts most of the time makes sense because the 120 crew members already live here. The F-15s will start training missions on Thursday. The Associated Press contributed to this report.