Rep. Womack pushes back against questions about impact of foreign pilot training center
F-35 jet built for Poland (photo from Lockheed)
U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Rogers, in a Thursday morning interview with the Fort Smith Radio Group (1230 AM) took issue with “very disappointing” comments by a Fort Smith city director about the economic impact of the foreign pilot training center in the city.
Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith was selected in March 2023 by the U.S. Air Force to be the long-term pilot training center supporting F-35 fighter planes purchased by Singapore, Switzerland, Poland, Germany, Finland, and other countries participating in the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. The base will also house and provide training support for Republic of Singapore F-16s.
The Air Force estimates the cost to complete the training center is $807 million. The previous estimate, provided by federal and state officials, ranged between $850 million and more than $1.2 billion. About $600 million…