Efforts to expand the foreign pilot training mission at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith took a critical step forward with completion of an environmental review that would allow the base to house an additional 12 F-35 fighter jet variants.
It was first made known in August 2025 that more space would be needed at Ebbing than initially planned. The 188th Wing announced Friday (April 17) that the supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) was approved. Information about the SEIS can be found at this link.
“The land acquisition is to support a proposed ramp expansion, Vertical landing Pad for F-35Bs,” noted a statement at the time 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 supplemental environmental impact statement (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.
Ebbing was selected in March 2023 by the U.S. Air Force to be the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program pilot training center supporting F-35 fighter planes purchased by Singapore, Switzerland, Poland, Germany, Finland, and other countries participating in the program. The base also will house and provide training support for Republic of Singapore F-16s. The first of eight Finnish F-35A jets landed at Ebbing in January. The 85th Fighter Group, which leads the foreign pilot training center, is a partner with the 188th Wing at the base.
The Air Force has estimated the cost to complete the training center is $807 million. An initial estimate, provided by federal and state officials, ranged between $850 million and more than $1.2 billion. About $600 million in federal funds has been appropriated since 2021 for the center.
‘MAJOR MILESTONE’
Daniel Hawkins, spokesperson for the Air Education Training Command headquarters at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph in Texas, told Talk Business & Politics that completion of the SEIS is “a major milestone” toward full approval of expanded operations at Ebbing.
“The finalization of the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) is the primary regulatory ‘green light’ required to bed down an additional 12 F-35s for a total of 36 F-35 and 12 F-16 aircraft at Ebbing ANGB,” Hawkins noted. “This milestone clears the final environmental hurdle and allows the Air Force to transition from planning to the physical construction of the base expansion.”
He said the process ensures that all parties, including the community, “fully understand and account for impacts on noise, air quality, and local infrastructure while supporting the future of airpower right here in Arkansas.”
Hawkins said the next step is approval of the “Record of Decision” from the Air Force.
PLANNED EXPANSION CHANGES
The SEIS lists several changes with an expanded base, including adding “271 personnel and 325 dependents” connected to the mission. The addition in people would be 31% more than the initial estimate, according to the Air Force.
“An additional 271 housing units may be demanded by the end state of 2029 under this alternative,” according to the SEIS. “An estimated 204 children of school age would be associated with the incoming personnel and may result in larger class sizes and additional pressures for resources and expenditures but would also result in additional funding from additional enrollment.”
Also, the expansion would result in an additional 1.2 million square feet of facility construction and renovation. Annual airfield operations would increase from an estimated 63,979 under the initial plan to 69,661 with the expanded operation, according to the SEIS.
Most facilities under the plan would be “developed near the main ramp, with a couple of projects proposed for other parts” of the Fort Smith Regional Airport and not on the Ebbing base.
Link here for more information on the planned FMS expansion at Ebbing.
