Davis-Monthan wasn't on the initial list of locations where the futuristic F-35 will be based. Residents near the base had voiced concern that the loud jet would cause intolerable noise.

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Tucson won't be a home base any time soon for the most powerful fighter jet in Air Force history.

Davis-Monthan Air Force Base was not on the list of six initial locations announced this week for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the new supersonic stealth jet due to replace the relatively quiet A-10 attack jet now flown at D-M.

The first of the futuristic fighters is expected to come into service in 2009.

While D-M wasn't picked this time around, it still may be in the future. Additional F-35 bases will be chosen at some point, though Air Force officials say they don't know yet when those decisions will be made.

The new single-engine jet will be rolled out in stages over 20 years or so, eventually replacing not just the A-10 but also the F-16, now flown by the Air National Guard at Tucson International Airport.

The jets — expected to cost about $47 million each — also will replace some Navy and Marine Corps aircraft.

With more than 1,700 of the new jets on order, "there will be considerable basing needs for these aircraft in the future," said Lt. Col. Edward Thomas, an Air Force spokesman at the Pentagon.

The new jet's engine is the most powerful ever made for a fighter jet, according to Pratt and Whitney, the company that developed it. In full afterburner mode, it produces 40,000 pounds of thrust, more than most twin-engine fighters, the firm said.

Air Force officials have acknowledged that the F-35 will be substantially louder than the jets it replaces. But precise data has not been available because the engine was still under development until recently.

That should change when environmental impact studies are done for the six F-35 sites the Air Force chose. Those studies typically include noise analyses that compare the decibel levels of new aircraft with those of existing warplanes.

For Tucsonans concerned about the possibility of more military jet noise, news that D-M was bypassed this round came as a relief.

"I'm pleased," said Anita Scales who lives in the Broadmoor-Broadway Village neighborhood northwest of the air base.

As it is, Scales said, she sometimes can't talk on the phone or carry on a conversation when D-M jets are overhead.

"With the Joint Strike Fighter, that would be the norm," she said.

"I know some people say jet noise is the sound of freedom. But it's awfully hard on the people who are most affected."

The F-35 sites announced this week are Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada; Edwards Air Force Base in California; Hill Air Force Base in Utah; Eglin Air Force Base in Florida; Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina; and Kadena Air Base in Japan.

D-M's commander, Col. Kent Laughbaum, said that he wasn't surprised the Tucson base was not among the initial sites.

He said it may have something to do with the fact that the Air Force recently decided to upgrade its entire A-10 fleet, allowing the old jets to stay on the job years longer than expected.

The A-10 now isn't due to be phased out until 2026, though the Air Force likely will act years before then to phase in replacements.

Laughbaum said base officials are working to address community concerns and will keep the public informed of any potential changes in aircraft.