The first F-35A fighter jet for the German Luftwaffe recently rolled off the line at Lockheed’s production plant in Fort Worth, Texas, and is one of eight jets to be at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith for pilot training. The first two German pilots are set to arrive in Fort Smith in December.

Lockheed is expected to build 35 of the fifth-generation fighter jets for the Luftwaffe. The Defense Times reported in December 2022 that Germany will spend $8.4 billion to acquire the jets.

Ebbing, a base co-located with the Fort Smith Regional Airport, was selected in March 2023 by the U.S. Air Force to be the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program pilot training center supporting F-35 fighter planes purchased by Singapore, Poland, Finland, Germany, Switzerland, Czechia, Greece, and Romania. Planes from Poland and Finland were the first to train at Ebbing, and each country now has eight F-35 jets there.

The 85th Fighter Group and the 57th Fighter Squadron, both under the Eglin, Fla.-based 33rd Fighter Wing, are based at Ebbing and work with the 188th Wing to manage training for F-35 pilots in the FMS program. The first German F-35 is scheduled to arrive at Ebbing in the first week of October, and German pilots are to train at Ebbing for five years, according to the 85th Fighter Group. The first eight German F-35’s are expected to be at Ebbing by April 2027.

Lockheed said in a Sept. 18 press release about the first German F-35 that the jet “is a cornerstone of European security, providing the Luftwaffe with the world’s most capable fighter aircraft and a platform designed to continuously integrate new technologies and capabilities.” According to Lockheed, more than 1,355 F-35s are operational at 42 military bases globally.

“From our AIRCOM perspective Germany’s decision to acquire the F-35A represents a significant investment in NATO interoperability and Allied Airpower,” German Major General Frank Gräfe, chief of staff of NATO Allied Air Command, noted in this recent NATO report. “As more Allies operate the F-35, we are strengthening our ability to train, operate and fight together as a cohesive Alliance.”

According to the 85th Fighter Group, the next country to begin training at Ebbing has not yet been finalized.

The Air Force has estimated it will cost $807 million to complete the foreign pilot training center at Ebbing. An initial estimate, provided by federal and state officials, ranged between $850 million and more than $1.2 billion. More than $600 million in federal funds has been appropriated since 2021 for the pilot training center.

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