FORT SMITH, Ark. — Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith is one of five U.S. Air Force finalist sites for a long-term pilot training center supporting F-16 and F-35 fighter planes purchased by Singapore, Switzerland and other countries participating in the Foreign Military Sales program.
The announcement was made Monday (July 20) by U.S. Sens. John Boozman and Tom Cotton, R-Ark., U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Rogers, and Gov. Asa Hutchinson. A preliminary “preferred and reasonable alternatives” decision should come no later than January 2021, with a final decision possible in the winter of 2022, according to information from Womack’s office.
According to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, the federal agency managing the Foreign Military Sales (FMS), the program is “responsible arms sales to further national security and foreign policy objectives by strengthening bilateral defense relations, supporting coalition building, and enhancing interoperability between U.S. forces and militaries of friends and allies. These sales also contribute to American prosperity by improving the U.S. balance of trade position, sustaining highly skilled jobs in the defense industrial base, and extending production lines and lowering unit costs for key weapon systems.”
Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett signed a memo July 6 to create one U.S. site for pilot training for up to 36 F-35 fighters and an F-16 base for the Republic of Singapore. The F-16s are now located at Luke Air Force Base near Phoenix.
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