Jet Pilot Military Training Center Coming to Arkansas
Arkansas will soon be the home of a new Jet Pilot Military Training Center.
According to a press release from the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce, Fort Smith's Ebbing Air National Guard Base has been chosen by the U.S. Department of Air Force to be the new home of the Foreign Military Sales Pilot Training Center.
One of the reasons Fort Smith was chosen is because the field on the base happens to be one of the largest in the middle of the country.
F-16 and F-35
The ramp space is twice the size of what is needed for training the pilots and the weather is normally good 320 days of the year. F-16 and F-35 fighter jets will be flown into the base for mission training throughout the year once the center is up and running.
Ebbing ANGB will be the training location for the 425th Fighter Squadron, a Republic of Singapore F-16 Fighting Falcon unit based out of Arizona, according to 5NEWS.
“Arkansas isn’t just the best state in America for service members to live and raise a family we’re also an international powerhouse, " said Governor Sarah Huckabee.Sanders.
Economic Boost
The new Jet Pilot Training Center is also expected to bring a boom to the economy estimated at #1 billion dollars. This facility will bring approximately 900 military members and their families to the Fort Smith region with approximately 230 personnel to the base.
Flying Operations
Expected to begin anywhere from September 2024 to September 2025.
Now if we just get Tom Cruise (Maverick) to fly in for the big opening, how cool would that be?
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