The joint base announced the change on their Facebook page Tuesday.
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST - The Cold War-era Blue Angel fighter jet that welcomed people entering the base's Lakehurst entrance for years was taken down last week and will be replaced by an F/A-18 Navy fighter, the base said.
The joint base announced the change on their Facebook page Tuesday.
"A lot of you that have passed by the main gate at Lakehurst have asked what's going on with the iconic Blue Angel. The rumors are true -- the Lakehurst Blue Angel has been taken down," the Facebook post said.
The jet, an F-11 from the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels demonstration team, will be refurbished and put on display at the Navy Lakehurst Historical Society Museum, the base said.
A base spokeswoman said the base needs to install a new concrete pad to display the F/A-18, but they hope to have the fighter on display as soon as possible.
The Blue Angels flew the F-11m from 1957 to 1968, and currently fly F/A-18s.
Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.
