Michigan’s Selfridge Air National Guard Base will become the home of 21 F-15EX Eagle II multirole fighters, a move that will enable the base to retain a fighter mission after the looming retirement of its A-10 attack planes.
President Donald Trump announced the move in a joint visit to the base with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and others April 29.
“As Commander-in-Chief, I’m proud to announce that very soon, we will replace the retiring A-10 Warthogs with 21 brand-new F-15EX Eagle II fighter jets—the best in the world,” Trump said. “This will keep Selfridge at the cutting edge of northern American airpower.”
Whitmer, a Democrat who visited Trump at the White House earlier this month, has been pushing for Selfridge to maintain a fighter mission along with other Michigan lawmakers. The Air National Guard previously passed over the base when it was deciding where to base its F-35A Lightning II multirole stealth fighters.
“I’m really damn happy we’re here to celebrate this recapitalization at Selfridge,” Whitmer said. “It’s critical for the Michigan economy, for our homeland security, and our future.”
F-15EXs will begin arriving in fiscal 2028 and will be on top of previous bases slated to receive the jets, Whitmer’s office said.
“According to the Department of Defense, the F-15EXs will begin arriving in FY28, and this basing decision will not overturn other F-15EX basing actions in other states, but is rather additive,” the Michigan Governor’s Office said in a statement.
The projected F-15EX fleet had been trimmed to 98 under the Biden administration. But the plane received a boost in recent days when the Senate and House Armed Services Committee released a reconciliation package that includes $150 billion in new defense spending in fiscal 2025. That package includes $3.15 billion for more F-15EXs and could be used to fund an additional squadron, expanding the fleet to about 125 aircraft.
The F-15EX, made by Boeing, will form the backbone of the Air National Guard’s fighter fleet along with the F-35.
Portland Air National Guard Base, Ore., has started to operate the F-15EX and the plane is coming to Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans, La., and Fresno Air National Guard Base, Calif. Now Selfridge is joining the club.
On the Active-Duty side, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., operates a test fleet of F-15EXs and Kadena Air Base, Japan, will eventually receive the aircraft to replace its aged-out F-15C/D Eagles.
Selfridge’s fighter mission has consisted of the A-10s in its 107th Fighter Squadron, which are due to be retired over the next several years.
Some A-10s from Selfridge deployed to the Middle East last fall, according to imagery released from U.S. Central Command. Photos of some A-10s in the region sported Selfridge’s “MI” tailflash, and other photos showed Airmen from the 107th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron and the 107th Expeditionary Fighter Generation Squadron.
Selfridge is also due to get a new squadron of KC-46 Pegasus tankers as its fleet of KC-135s is retired. Trump also expressed support for that move, which was decided by the Biden administration.