Arizona's F-35 fighter jet jobs
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Arizona has more to lose than most states as international allies debate whether to continue purchasing F-35 aircraft from the United States.
Why it matters: Luke Air Force Base in the West Valley is one of the top F-35 training bases in the country. The base's 56th Fighter Wing completed its 100,000th training flight last year.
The big picture: The fifth-generation fighter jet has become a geopolitical football, with some longtime U.S. allies reconsidering it amid the Trump administration's hostility toward Canada and NATO and embrace of Russia.
- A Danish politician on March 19 said he regretted his country's recent purchase of six F-35 jets and called for a boycott of "American weapons if at all possible."
- Meanwhile, some countries including Canada and Portugal are considering European-made jets instead, the Associated Press reports.
Zoom in: Arizona is home to nearly 11,000 jobs related to F-35 production, according to data from contractors and partners Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems.
- That's about 145 jobs per 100,000 people — the fourth-highest rate in the U.S.
The bottom line: The F-35 is a cornerstone of a yearslong plan to get NATO countries flying the same aircraft, enabling cross-compatibility and resource-sharing.
- Threatening to effectively abandon that plan is one thing. Actually doing so is quite another.