The U.S. Air Force plans to lease six more acres from the Fort Smith Regional Airport to support the foreign military pilot training center now active at Ebbing Air National Guard Base located on airport property.
Part of the extra space would be for “Vertical Landing Pads” for the F-35B fighter jet variant equipped for short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL).
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. Officials have said significant construction could begin in mid-2025 on an estimated four- to five-year building program for the training center.
The initial decision in 2023 was to support 24 F-35 jets at Ebbing, but additional foreign buyers of the F-35 platform in the FMS program pushed the number to 36 of the advanced jets. Adding more jets has resulted in the need to submit and approve a supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS). The supplemental statement includes the language about the need to lease six more acres.
“Consequently, the Proposed Action in this SEIS, includes increasing aircraft capacity at Ebbing ANG Base from 24 to 36 F-35 PAA (primary aircraft assigned), revising training requirements, expanding the footprint of the PTC (pilot training center) through land acquisition, constructing new infrastructure, renovating existing infrastructure, and increasing personnel,” noted a statement from the Department of the Air Force.
Ebbing now includes around 110 acres of land leased from the Fort Smith Regional Airport, and the airport property covers approximately 1,400 acres.
“The land acquisition is to support a proposed ramp expansion, Vertical landing Pad for F-35Bs,” noted a statement from the 188th. “The Arm/Dearm Expansion would require the acquisition of approximately 6 acres within the boundaries of Ft Smith Regional Airport.”
Construction listed in the SEIS includes 7 acres for an additional parking area, 5.07 acres for a “fuel farm,” 4.66 acres for a main ramp extension, and 2.72 acres for the vertical landing pad. The main ramp expansion and vertical landing pad would require some additional leased property from the airport.
According to the Air Force, an amended lease cannot be signed between the military and airport until completion of the process, which includes the SEIS, to approve the added number of F-35’s. The process also requires Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval of the plan. The complete “Record of Decision” is expected to be made in May 2026, according to the Air Force.
Eric Pendergrass, Fort Smith attorney and chairman of the Fort Smith Regional Airport Commission, acknowledged that they are in the early process of an amended land lease to make room for the vertical landing pads.
“The airport has had some early discussion with the USAF and ANG (Air National Guard) concerning the VLP’s,” he said. “It is my understanding that the land necessary would become part of the ANG lease. By its nature, the construction would be subject to FAA review.”
Link here for a PDF draft of the main document of the SEIS.