LAYTON - Hill Air Force Base will become a key repair shop for the F-35 fighter plane, ensuring its future as F-16 aircraft get phased out.

Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, says it wasn't unexpected when he received word of the decision from the U.S. Air Force Materiel Command.

The designation cements Hill's role as one of the nation's premier fighter depots and ensures employment for thousands.

Hill was designated as a repair workshop for the next-generation fighter's airframe, doors, panels, covers, and other parts.

An Air Force shop in Oklahoma City will take care of engine repairs and overhauls.

Hill Air Force Base will get the first operational wing of F-35s once they are built.

But Bishop complained that Congress has put off building the aircraft for too long.

- The Associated Press