VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Virginia Beach City Council is pushing to bring more modern aircraft like the F-35 to Naval Air Station Oceana.
If you live in Virginia Beach, jet noise is nothing new. NAS Oceana is home to hundreds of aircraft and city leaders want that noise to continue — a resolution was unanimously approved Tuesday night.
Watch: Virginia Beach leaders push to bring future air defense to NAS Oceana
Part of the future is the use of the F-35 stealth aircraft, manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corp. in Fort Worth, Texas.
"We have the F-18s but they won't be in service forever and there will be a next generation of aircraft that will be coming out," said Virginia Beach Vice Mayor Rosemary Wilson.
Many F-35s have been positioned on the West Coast. But none at Oceana... yet.
Watch: Meet the Virginia Beach team keeping Navy fighter jets flying over Hampton Roads
"We want Oceana to be in that discussion as well," said U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans.
But not everyone is on board.
"Have you considered the noise impact of the F35s?" asked one Virginia Beach resident during public comment at Tuesday's council meeting. "They are just really loud."
Studies have shown that the F-35 is slightly louder than the F-18 during takeoff and a bit quieter on return.
Watch: Navy cuts ribbon on new training center at Naval Air Station Oceana
Another resident supports bringing the F-35.
“The next generation is going to be the F-35," they said. "It’s going bring people here. That plane is the wave for the future. See if we can get the Navy to bring the F-35 to Hampton Roads."
Kiggans is a former Navy helicopter pilot.
She says the inclusion of the nextgen fighter jet could mean better access to defense dollars for military families here in Hampton Roads.
"This resolution and inviting the next generation of strike fighter to come to the city of Virginia Beach will bring investment from the DOD and the military," Kiggans said.
Wilson told News 3's Leondra Head she hopes the council's resolution will send a message to the Pentagon to bring these aircraft to Oceana.
