Tucson has been bypassed - for now, at least- as a home base for a new Air Force fighter jet.

The Air National Guard's 162nd Fighter Wing at Tucson International Airport will not be among the first to receive the futuristic F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which instead may go to Luke Air Force Base in Glendale.

Luke emerged as the Air Force's "preferred alternative" in Arizona after initial investigations showed it has a far better ability than the Tucson site to accommodate a large number of the new jets without the need for major renovations or expense, said Gary Strasburg, an Air Force spokesman at the Pentagon.

Thursday's announcement was cheered by Tucsonans who oppose an F-35 presence in the city, mainly because of the jet's high noise level. Air Force studies suggest it will be notably louder that the F-16 jets now flown by the local Air Guard unit.

"We salute the Air Force decision," said midtown resident and Navy veteran Robin Gomez, part of a grass-roots group called Tucson Forward formed this year to fight the F-35.

An urban airport near thousands of private homes isn't a suitable site for "the loudest fighter plane in the U.S. Air Force," Gomez said.

Supporters of bringing the jet to Tucson said it's only a matter of time until it ends up here.

"I'm disappointed that it's not going to get here first. But I'm very optimistic that it's eventually going to make it here one way or another," said Tim Amalong, president of the 162nd Fighter Wing Minuteman Committee, a support group for the local Air Guard unit that was a contender.

Amalong said it makes sense the Air Force would focus first on training active-duty pilots on the F-35 at an active-duty base like Luke.

But Air National Guard pilots and foreign allied pilots also will need that training eventually, and Tucson would be a perfect fit since its Air Guard unit already does that type of training on the F-16 aircraft, he said.

The 162nd Fighter Wing has about 1,400 personnel and brings $280 million a year into the Tucson region, a 2008 state study found. Without the F-35, the unit has another decade or so left in its current mission.

Strasburg, the Air Force spokesman, said service officials looked at many factors, including public support for or opposition to the higher-noise jet. When it came down to it, though, the main considerations were practical ones.

"Luke has the ability to accept three or more squadrons of the aircraft. The capacity is already there," said Strasburg. A squadron typically is 24 aircraft, he said.

The Tucson site "was not as good as Luke" in that regard, he said, although Tucson may be considered again in two or three years - for example, if the Tucson site expands or if the service decides it needs a smaller F-35 site somewhere in the state.

Strasburg said the Air Force hasn't yet decided whether it wants to use Air National Guard bases as training sites for the F-35.

"That will be part of future considerations," he said.

Arizona Sen. John McCain put out a statement Thursday praising the pick of Luke. McCain said the Air Force bypassed Tucson because the local Air Guard unit is busy for now with F-16 training.

In November, McCain told an F-35 press conference in Tucson that the 162nd Fighter Wing Guard site was not in competition with Luke, an active-duty base, as home for the F- 35.

The Republican senator predicted then that both Arizona sites would be selected for their year-round flying weather and proximity to the Barry M. Goldwater training range west of Tucson.

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords also issued a statement saying she is "confident that Tucson again will be strongly considered," in the next round of F-35 basing decisions in 2014.

Giffords said the Air Force also is eyeing Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. The A-10 attack jets now flown at D-M are on the list of warplanes the F-35 will replace.

Like many new military aircraft, the F-35 has been plagued by cost overruns and delays. Even so, Strasburg said the Air Force is proceeding on the assumption that the jets will start coming online into the Air Force inventory in 2013.

Now that Luke has been picked as one of the Air Force's top choices, more environmental studies will follow before a final decision on the location is made next year.

Contact reporter Carol Ann Alaimo at calaimo@azstarnet.com or at 573-4138.