
Two F-35A Lightning II fighter jets recently arrived at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith for the Foreign Military Sales pilot training program.
The fifth-generation jets were purchased by Poland and Polish pilots will be trained in the aircraft at Ebbing. The FMS program allows foreign countries to purchase the F-35 jets manufactured by Lockheed Martin and then be trained at the U.S. base.
The 85th Fighter Group of the U.S. Air Force will conduct the FMS training at Ebbing. Officials have said the 10-year FMS program could have a $1 billion annual impact on the Fort Smith region.
The FMS program is for 10 years but could last longer depending on the demand for American-made F-35s and subsequent training.
“The arrival of Poland’s first F-35s is a significant milestone for our state, the nation, and our allies who will train on this fifth-generation fighter at Ebbing Air National Guard Base,” Brig. Gen. Chad Bridges, Arkansas’ adjutant general, said in a statement. “I’m extremely proud of the whole team in the 188th Wing, and the staffs at Razorback Range and Fort Chaffee Joint Maneuver Training Center for the planning and work that has resulted in the sound of freedom returning to the River Valley today. They’ve partnered with the active-duty Air Force to go from concept to jets being parked on the ramp in a compressed timeframe.”
Congress approved $300 million for improvements to Ebbing in order to host the FMS, which was formally awarded to the Fort Smith base in March 2023. The total project cost is expected to surpass $750 million.
Poland agreed in 2019 to buy 24 F-35 jets for more than $6 billion. Other countries who are scheduled to participate in the program are Finland, Germany, Switzerland and Singapore.