ŁASK, Poland, — May 22, 2026 : Poland has officially received the first three Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II fighter aircraft at the 32nd Tactical Air Base in Łask, marking the beginning of operational deployment of the country’s first fifth-generation combat aircraft.
The aircraft arrived in central Poland following a transatlantic flight from a Lockheed Martin production facility near Fort Worth, Texas. The delivery route included a scheduled stop at Lajes Field Air Base in the Azores before the aircraft continued to Poland. During the transit, the aircraft legally remained under United States jurisdiction and were flown by American pilots, while the Polish national insignia on the jets remained temporarily covered until the formal transfer process was completed.
The delivery is part of Poland’s $4.6 billion agreement signed with Lockheed Martin on January 31, 2020, for the procurement of 32 F-35A fighter aircraft. The contract, concluded during the first term of U.S. President Donald Trump, also includes flight simulators, logistics support, technical assistance, and training programs for 24 Polish pilots and approximately 90 ground personnel.
Although these are the first F-35A aircraft delivered to Polish territory, earlier aircraft from the order were previously sent to Ebbing Air National Guard Base for training activities. Since January 2025, Polish pilots, engineers, logistics personnel, and system administrators have been undergoing operational and maintenance training in the United States. Pilots completing instructor-level qualification are expected to return to Poland to support future domestic training operations.
The Polish Air Force has officially designated the aircraft as the “F-35A Husarz”, referencing Poland’s historic winged hussar cavalry formations. The aircraft is a fifth-generation multirole fighter equipped with low-observable stealth technology, advanced electronic warfare systems, sensor fusion capabilities, and network-centric combat systems designed to share real-time operational data with allied forces.
The 32nd Tactical Air Base in Łask, which currently operates F-16C/D Block 52+ fighter aircraft, underwent extensive modernization work ahead of the arrival of the F-35A fleet. Infrastructure upgrades began in 2022 and included the construction of secure maintenance hangars, specialized technical facilities, mission planning systems, and integrated support infrastructure compatible with both F-16 and F-35 operations. The base received official certification for F-35 operations in March 2026 and will serve as the primary operating location for the first squadron of 16 aircraft.
Poland plans to base the second squadron of 16 F-35A aircraft at the 21st Tactical Air Base in Świdwin, which is currently undergoing infrastructure adaptation work to support future operations. According to current delivery schedules, additional aircraft are expected to arrive progressively through 2029. Polish defense authorities expect all 32 aircraft to enter service by the end of 2030, while full operational readiness of the fleet is projected in the following years after completion of infrastructure integration and personnel training.
The new F-35A fleet will gradually replace Poland’s aging Soviet-era MiG-29 and Su-22 aircraft as part of the country’s broader air force modernization program. Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz stated that the introduction of the aircraft marks the deployment of the first fifth-generation fighter capability on NATO’s eastern flank and will improve operational interoperability between Poland, the United States, and other NATO allies operating the F-35 platform.
The arrival of the first three aircraft marks the beginning of long-term operational integration of the F-35A into the Polish Air Force, strengthening Poland’s national air defense capabilities and supporting NATO collective defense operations in Eastern Europe.
——— End of Article ———
