Air National Guard, TUS Celebrate Largest F-16 Arm / De-Arm Pad

Tucson Airport Authority (TAA), the operator of the Tucson International Airport (TUS), and the 162nd Wing Arizona Air National Guard (AANG) are celebrating the completion of the largest F-16 Arm / De-Arm Pad in the country.

The TUS Airfield Safety Enhancement Program, a $400M program designed to update the airfield to current federal safety standards, includes multiple enabling projects and phases of work.  One such enabling project is a collaborative effort between the TAA and the Arizona Air National Guard – 162d Fighter Wing, is the Arm / De-Arm Pad, an area that allows the flexibility for AANG to place 14 aircraft on the apron at a time to complete their pre-flight and post-flight actions to support their mission.

In addition, another significant milestone is the completion of the End Around Taxiway, which will allow the military efficient access to and from the airfield and around active runways, and a Barrier Arresting Kit (BAK) on Runway 4-22, which is a cable arresting system for hook-fitted military aircraft for safely capturing and arresting the aircraft.

These accomplishments speak to the progress and collaboration between the TAA and the AANG as they work to transition the airfield at TUS into a new era of safety and provide redundancy with a relocated parallel runway that will serve the Southern Arizona region for decades into the future.

The project is expected to be fully completed by 2029.