The U.S. Department of War will build a $37.6 million facility at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith.
BL Harbert International of Birmingham, Alabama, was awarded the contract to construct an F-35 Special Access Program Facility, according to a department announcement. The move is part of the military’s plan to turn Ebbing into an international training hub for the world’s most advanced fighter jet, the F-35.
According to Defense-Blog.com, the plan is so secure it needs its own classification category.
From the Defense Blog report:
A Special Access Program Facility (SAPF) is a building constructed to meet strict federal security standards under Intelligence Community Directive 705, requirements governing physical construction, electronic shielding, and access control for spaces where personnel handle classified information tied to specially compartmented programs. In plain terms, it’s a facility built specifically to keep the most sensitive information about the F-35’s capabilities, mission planning, and tactics locked away from anyone without proper clearance, complete with hardened walls, controlled entry points, and technical countermeasures against electronic eavesdropping. According to a description of the project published through federal contracting records, the facility will function as a squadron operations mission planning center, providing controlled workspace for secure flight planning and training, along with administrative space and equipment storage for aircrew, work the Army has described as critical to supporting combat crew functions and ensuring operational readiness.
The project is expected to be complete by Jan. 31, 2029.
Ebbing is home to the Arkansas Air National Guard’s 188th Wing, nicknamed the Flying Razorbacks. The 188th flies the MQ-9A Reaper drone and conducts intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. The U.S. Air Force selected Ebbing in March 2023 to serve as the long-term pilot training center supporting F-35 and F-16 fighter jets purchased through the Foreign Military Sales program, as part of which the United States sells American-made military equipment to allied nations and trains their pilots.
The U.S. Air Force has estimated the total cost of converting Ebbing for the program to be at least $765 million, which covers new hangars, flight simulation facilities, an academic training center, the SAPF, as well as runway and support infrastructure upgrades. Construction on the 44,000-square-foot, $74 million academic training center began earlier this year. F-35s from Singapore are expected to arrive in late 2026, with F-16s arriving in the summer of 2027. Ultimately, around 400 Singapore military personnel are expected to be stationed at Ebbing.
Feature image by Alejandra Vega/Defense Blog
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