Panel discussion focuses on impact of foreign pilot training center in Fort Smith

“There’s no chance they’ll bring that mission to Fort Smith.” That was the first thought Col. Jay “Evil” Spohn had when asked to review sites for a planned new foreign military pilot training center.

Spohn, now commander of the 188th Wing at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith, flew at Ebbing in 2007-09 when the 188th had a manned mission. But when he dug a little deeper, Spohn said he began to change his mind about Ebbing being able to support a larger Department of Defense mission to train pilots from allied nations to fly the fifth-generation F-35 fighter jet.

Other minds likely changed. 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. The 85th Fighter Group and the 57th Fighter Squadron, both under the Eglin, Fla.-based 33rd Fighter Wing, are based at Ebbing and are responsible for training F-35 pilots. The cost to get the new training center fully operational is estimated to be $1.2 billion.

Spohn was one of six panel members for a “Fighter Jets and Fort Smith: Global Partnerships, Local Impacts” discussion held Thursday (May 1) at the Bakery District in downtown Fort Smith. The event, with about 80 in attendance, was conducted by Prime: River Valley Professional Summit. Other panelists were Tim Allen, CEO of the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce; Air Force Col. (Ret.) Rob “Gator” Ator, director of Military Affairs, Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC); Col. Nicholas “Matrix” Ihde, commander of the 85th Fighter Group; Heidi “Splash” Moore, F-35 site lead with Lockheed Martin; and Fort Smith Vice Mayor and City Director Jarred Rego.

‘GREATEST MOVE’
The discussion included cheerleading and praise for people and institutions in the Fort Smith metro.

“I’m just here for the Steel Horse Rally,” Ihde joked about the downtown Fort Smith motorcycle rally — with more than 200,000 attendees in 2024 — celebrating its 10th anniversary on May 2-3.

Ihde, who said he and his family have moved many times in his military career, said he has been pleasantly surprised with living in Fort Smith — a city to which he was not initially excited about moving.

“I’ll tell you right now, it’s the greatest move I’ve had,” he said.

Ihde noted several times how impressed he and representatives of other governments are with the Peak Innovation Center. The center is a regional career education center operated by the Fort Smith Public School District.

Ihde also said members of the Republic of Singapore delegation, who will be long-term users of the base, were initially not interested in Fort Smith but changed their views after several visits. He said the comment he heard from one Singaporean was, “We came to find a training base and we found a home.”

‘CARE AND FEEDING’
Ator said a key driver in the estimated annual economic impact of the pilot training center, which he said is over $1 billion, is that Ebbing does not have large medical facilities, housing, recreation amenities, a commissary and other services a larger base might have.

“All the care and feeding of these airmen and their families … are more directly felt” in the regional economy, he said.

More folks will soon need care and feeding. Ihde said by May 1, 2026, the base, which now has four F-35s, will have 16 of the fighters. The number will reflect eight Polish planes and eight from Finland. He also teased that on May 9, two Singapore F-16s will fly in for Ebbing’s “Initial Operational Capability” ceremony. Ihde said the two jets will have “FS” on their tails to designate they will at some point be based in the city.

Following are other panelist comments and observations.

• Moore said she hopes the appearance and sound of the jets in Fort Smith will encourage students from all demographics to take an interest in STEM — science, technology, engineering, and math — fields. “The playing field is level because when those jets are flying everyone is looking up,” she said.
• Allen said several defense industry contractors are interested in having operations in the Fort Smith area because of the new training center. “We’re on a map we’ve never been on before,” he said.
• Rego said he is hopeful activity related to the new pilot training center will increase demand for air travel and help the Fort Smith Regional Airport recruit new routes and new airlines. American Airlines, the only carrier now at the airport, had four to five flights a day in 2021 but has reduced its schedule to three flights a day. Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines stopped its direct service to Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in July 2020.