by - May 12, 2025 3:04 pm
Work to complete new facilities at the foreign pilot training center at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith is set to receive $141 million following Congressional approval of…
by - May 2, 2025 10:04 am
“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…
by - December 12, 2024 4:54 pm
The first two F-35 fighter jets built for Poland will soon roll off the Lockheed production line in Fort Worth, Texas, and Col. Nicholas Ihde is ready to fly one…
by - August 28, 2024 7:26 pm
Fort Smith Mayor George McGill has been appointed to the first class of the U.S. Air Force Air Education and Training Command (AETC) Civic Leader Program. He will represent Ebbing…
by - July 24, 2024 1:56 pm
An investigation is underway on 4811 S. Zero Street LLC, in Fort Smith, a company state officials suspect has connections to Chinese foreign nationals who may want to be near…
by - July 2, 2024 1:52 pm
Military units activated during World War II to train pilots for operations in Africa and the Aleutian Islands in what was then the U.S. Territory of Alaska were reactivated Tuesday…
by - June 4, 2024 8:50 pm
A Fort Smith attorney suggests that a legal battle could result if the city continues down the path of adopting a military overlay district without addressing “due process” and property…
by - May 23, 2024 1:44 pm
Funding efforts for the next U.S. fiscal year are already underway. At least $70 million could be used to build an academic training base at Ebbing Air National Guard Base…
by - May 14, 2024 8:29 pm
The Fort Smith Planning Commission voted four to three against unified development ordinance (UDO) amendments that would create a Military Compatibility Area Overlay District some city officials have said are…
by - May 3, 2024 10:25 am
Richard Deaner said the planned pace of work at the Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith is “real unusual in today’s environment,” but is needed to ensure the…
by - April 30, 2024 5:24 pm
The foreign military pilot training center in Fort Smith has yet to become operational or even see its first jet find a home in a hangar, but the number of…
by - April 26, 2024 2:01 pm
Some Fort Smith residents – including a former Fort Smith Regional Airport manager – expressed concerns Thursday (April 25) about noise levels in the city when F-35 fighter jets begin…
by - April 11, 2024 11:49 am
The Fort Smith Airport Commission approved an agreement at a special meeting Wednesday (April 10) with the City of Fort Smith to ensure all the necessary runway projects are completed…
by - March 27, 2024 4:59 pm
Defense industry giant Lockheed Martin is the first known company with plans to locate a facility in Fort Smith to support the foreign pilot training center being established at Ebbing…
by - March 22, 2024 4:13 pm
Editor’s note: Story updated to include news of Senate approval of the budget bill. The U.S. House approved Friday (March 22) a federal budget bill that could not only avoid…
by - March 11, 2024 2:02 pm
“Significant” federal funding has been approved for work in the ongoing effort to establish a foreign pilot training center in Fort Smith, but more will be needed for the estimated…
by - January 1, 2024 3:32 pm
Fort Smith and Ebbing Air National Guard Base continue to prepare for the arrival of the Foreign Military Sales Program (FMS) Pilot Training Center, hosting F-16 and F-35 fighter jet…
by - December 14, 2023 3:38 pm
With fighter jets returning to Fort Smith next year, area home builders know they must be more selective about materials and design to mitigate sound transmission in certain areas of…
by - December 1, 2023 11:14 am
Having just completed a $17 million runway extension, Fort Smith Regional Airport officials are now working on adding an almost $18 million “arresting system” on the main runway. Both projects…
by - October 25, 2023 12:27 pm
The Fort Smith Board of Directors unanimously approved an ordinance Tuesday (Oct. 24) that will expand a new residential construction moratorium near the Fort Smith Regional Airport for two more…
