Smyrna Airport is on track to become a much bigger player for the Tennessee National Guard, a shift that would bring new hangars, training activity, and a wave of state and federal investment into Rutherford County. Local and state officials say planning is underway to move missions now tied to Nashville’s military footprint down the road to Smyrna/Rutherford County Airport, a joint civil-military field that already hosts Army aviation units. If the plans hold, residents can expect years of construction, more flights, and a visibly larger uniformed presence around the airfield.
The Federal Aviation Administration has added Smyrna Airport (MQY) to its 2026 Military Airport Program list, a May 2026 designation that makes the airport eligible for MAP funding beginning in fiscal year 2027, according to the FAA. MAP dollars can be used for projects such as hangars, fuel farms, access roads, and other infrastructure that support both civilian and military operations.
State Budget And Defense Planning Point To Smyrna
State budget documents for Fiscal Year 2025-26 include a $7.63 million line item titled “Smyrna Airport Land Purchase and Demolition,” set aside to buy airport property and clear existing structures for future National Guard use, according to the state budget. Local reporting and lawmakers have tied that appropriation to planning and design work for shifting some Guard missions from Berry Field to Smyrna, and WSMV reported that the 2026 national defense bill includes language that backs that planning effort.
Local Officials Pressing For New Tower, Runway Improvements
Rutherford County commissioners and Smyrna town leaders are already in full pitch mode, asking Congress for federal help to modernize the field. That includes a formal request for roughly $21.5 million to build a new, ADA-compliant air traffic control tower, as reported by WKRN. Smyrna Airport officials note that the airfield already operates as a busy reliever airport with two runways and has recently completed runway reconstruction aimed at handling heavier use.
Guard Projects Already On Planning Calendars
Meeting minutes from the Tennessee Joint Service Reserve Component Facilities Board lay out a list of Guard-related projects tied to Smyrna, from aircraft maintenance hangars and rotary-wing bay conversions to microgrids and base-entry work. The same minutes note that the governor and adjutant general have signed a letter of intent to relocate the 118th Wing to Smyrna’s Volunteer Training Site. The Defense Department documents spell out project scopes and preliminary fiscal year targets, and those planning details are captured in the Defense Department minutes.
What A Bigger Guard Presence Would Mean Locally
Airport materials and local planners estimate the field already supports more than 1,000 jobs and about $232 million in annual economic activity, and they say expanded Guard operations could add construction contracts, permanent civilian positions, and new spending by service members and their families, according to Smyrna/Rutherford County Airport. Local reporting has also floated multi-hundred-million dollar investment totals tied to new Guard facilities on the airport campus, though the final price tag will depend on which projects secure National Guard Bureau and congressional approval; WGNS has covered those estimates.
From Sewart Air Base To A Joint Civil-Military Field
The Smyrna airfield has deep military roots that stretch back to World War II, when it operated as Smyrna Army Airfield and later as Sewart Air Force Base. That history left behind infrastructure and an aviation workforce that make the site a logical candidate for renewed Guard missions. Federal project papers and local historical records document both the wartime role and the later transition back to civilian and Guard uses, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The FAA’s MAP designation kicks in for fiscal year 2027, but any permanent relocation of missions and major construction will still hinge on National Guard Bureau approvals, environmental reviews, and congressional appropriations. Local leaders say they plan to keep pressing lawmakers and agencies while moving ahead with design work, site preparation, and smaller upgrades. If the plan advances, the full transition is expected to unfold over several years. For now, the FAA documents and the Defense Department meeting minutes remain the clearest public windows into what is in motion.
