FORT SMITH, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Fort Smith will soon be home to a foreign pilot training program and several Arkansas lawmakers celebrated the announcement on May 5.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders along with Sen. John Boozman, Sen. Tom Cotton, Fort Smith Mayor George McGill and other Fort Smith leaders talked about the program at Ebbing Air National Guard Base.

The new training center will bring new jobs and fighter jets back to the region.

“We’re going to welcome the Singapore delegation here, and we’re going to make them feel at home and all others who chose Fort Smith. We’re going to make them feel at home, and a part of our community,” McGill said.

“The federal dollars that have been spent on construction and personnel will cascade to as much as $1 billion in economic impact for Fort Smith, the River Valley and our entire state. This is monumental,” Sanders said.

Flying is expected to start in 2025.

Watch the full event in the video above.