FORT SMITH, Ark. — Fighter jets from Finland and Poland have become a regular sight over the Arkansas River Valley this year as Ebbing Air National Guard Base transforms into the U.S. Air Force’s training hub for allied F-35 pilots.
The Air Force selected Ebbing in March 2023 to host the Foreign Military Sales Pilot Training Center, a program that trains pilots from partner nations purchasing the fifth generation fighter. Singapore, Switzerland, Poland, Germany and Finland are among the nations sending pilots to Fort Smith.
The mission reached a milestone Jan. 20, 2026 when the first Finnish Air Force F-35A Lightning II landed at Ebbing, according to a release from the Air National Guard. About 20 Finnish pilots will train through the program, which is expected to conclude by early 2028. Finnish maintenance personnel are also training at the base.
Finnish students complete academics and simulator work at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida before flying live training missions in the skies over Fort Smith, according to the release. The 57th Fighter Squadron, the Air Force unit dedicated to training foreign partners on the F-35, leads the instruction.
Polish F-35s have been conducting routine training flights at Ebbing since at least March.
Singapore’s F-35s are expected to arrive in late 2026, followed by the country’s F-16s in the summer of 2027, according to the Air Force. Up to 400 personnel will be stationed at Ebbing once Singapore’s aircraft are fully in place.
The mission continues to grow. The Department of the Air Force signed a record of decision June 9 to expand the training center, adding 12 more F-35s for a total of 36 at the base, according to a notice published in the Federal Register. The expansion also includes a new vertical landing pad to support the F-35B, a variant capable of short takeoffs and vertical landings. The base is also slated to host 12 F-16s.
Construction is underway across the installation. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Little Rock District broke ground May 6 on a $74 million academic training center. The 44,000 square foot facility will house four F-35 flight simulators and classroom space. The Air Force estimates the total cost of the training center buildout at $807 million, with about $600 million in federal funds appropriated since 2021.
The buildup is bringing jobs. Lockheed Martin announced in June it will add 110 positions at Ebbing, bringing its workforce at the base to more than 230 in support of the training mission.
Ebbing is home to the Arkansas Air National Guard’s 188th Wing. The active-duty 85th Fighter Group leads the foreign pilot training center, making Ebbing the first Air National Guard installation to host a permanent active-duty mission of its kind, according to the 188th.
“Seeing the flyover, seeing the buildings pop up, it really is remarkable,” U.S. Sen. John Boozman said at the May groundbreaking.
