Oklahoma military jets ride out the storms at Tucson's Davis-Monthan Air Force Base
Tucson’s Davis-Monthan Air Force Base is acting as a storm shelter to some military jets from Oklahoma. The planes were moved to Arizona because more violent weather is expected in Oklahoma’s “tornado alley."17 E-3 Sentry AWACS radar planes from Oklahoma’s Tinker Air Force base are currently parked at Davis-Monthan. Nearly 200 military personnel from Oklahoma are also in Tucson waiting for the storms to pass in their home state.
Lt. Col. Darren Deroos is from Oklahoma. He said they must keep the jets safe because they are worth $330 million each.
“The base has always had a plan to evacuate aircraft if we know that severe weather’s coming. Tornadoes is the main problem but there’s also the risk of hail and that’s been pretty prevalent in Oklahoma especially this spring," Deroos said.
Deroos has been through quite a few tornadoes in Oklahoma, but he said the twister that hit earlier this month was the most devastating one he has ever witnessed. He said the jets from Tinker Base will fly back to Oklahoma this weekend.
