Six static aircraft once on display at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith are now parked in a holding area during construction of the foreign military pilot training center. The historic aircraft may be part of a new base entrance, according to the 188th Wing.
Ebbing was selected in March 2023 by the U.S. Air Force to be the long-term pilot training center supporting F-16 and F-35 fighter planes purchased by Singapore, Switzerland, Poland, Germany, Finland, and other countries participating in the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. Ebbing is co-located with the Fort Smith Regional Airport.
The estimated total cost to complete the training center is $1.2 billion, and around $600 million has been appropriated since 2021 for the center, according to Robert Ator, Secretary of Veterans Affairs in Arkansas. Officials have said that significant construction could begin in mid-2025 on an estimated four- to five-year building program for the training center.
According to Capt. Thomas Phalen, historian for the 188th Wing, the six aircraft are on loan to Ebbing from the National Museum of the Air Force. The aircraft are now parked at a temporary location on Signature Air’s ramp. Signature is the fixed-based operator at the Fort Smith Regional Airport, and its employees helped with the move, which took place July 11. The 188th also said the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce helped with the move.
Following are the aircraft models moved, and when they were flown by the 188th Fighter Wing, and its predecessor units, according to Phalen.
• RF-84F “Thunderflash” (flown August 1957 to December 1970)
• F-100 “Super Sabre” (flown April 1972 to August 1979)
• RF-101 “Voodoo” (flown September 1970 to June 1972)
• F-4C “Phantom” (flown April 1979 to June 1988)
• F-16C “Fighting Falcon” (flown June 1988 to April 2007)
• A-10C “Thunderbolt II” (flown April 2007 to June 2014)
“When the FMS construction is complete, a new entry control point will be constructed on Ebbing Air National Guard Base,” noted a statement from the 188th. “The current plan is to have the six static aircraft line the front entry road as military members or visitors come on to base. The aircraft will be within the secured fence line on base. They will reside inside the fence line because the National Museum of the Air Force has strict guidelines regarding historical property. However, the aircraft are available for viewing through the Signature Air fence line for the next three years.”
Groups that helped with the “significantly heavy lift” of the six aircraft included the 188th Civil Engineering Squadron, the 188th Logistics Readiness Squadron, the 188th Security Forces Squadron, the 188th Wing Historical Property Custodians, and the 85th Fighter Group.
“188th Wing Old Guard retirees were also present and provided their knowledge in aircraft transport and handling; highlighting that dedication to the 188th Wing extends past retirement,” the 188th noted in a social media post about the move.
188TH HISTORY
The unit began in October 1953 as the 184th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron. The unit has been home to nine aircraft types, beginning with the RB-26, a twin-engine modified bomber. The unit converted in 1956 to the RF-80, a jet aircraft, when the unit was assigned a daylight reconnaissance mission.
The RF-84F arrived in 1957, and was replaced in 1970 by the RF-101 (Voodoo). In 1972 the unit’s recon mission ended with the arrival of the F-100 Super Sabre. The unit was recast as the 188th Tactical Fighter Group. In 1979, the “Flying Razorbacks” handle was adopted by the 188th when it received the F-4C Phantom.
In 1988 the F-16A Fighting Falcon replaced the F-4C, and in 2000 the F-16s were upgraded to the F-16 A variant. A last-minute decision by the Base Realignment and Closure Committee in 2005 replaced the F-16 with the A-10. On April 14, 2007, the 188th received its first A-10.
The A-10 aircraft departed the unit in June 2014, and the 188th mission was replaced with an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) mission connected to unmanned aerial vehicles. That mission continues.