Poland received its first three Lockheed Martin F-35A fighters at Lask air base on May 22, introducing the country’s first fifth-generation combat aircraft into service.
The jets landed accompanied by two Polish Air Force F-16s during a ceremony attended by senior government officials and military commanders.
“This is a great day for Poland, for the Polish Armed Forces, for the Air Force,” Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said during the event at the 32nd Tactical Air Base.
Polish pilots have been training on the F-35 for more than two years. Warsaw accepted its first two aircraft in the US in December 2024, with the initial cohort of pilots undergoing training at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas.
Related news
March 13, 2026
The aircraft are designated locally as “Husarz” and form part of a 32-aircraft order signed by Poland with the United States.
According to the Polish Ministry of Defense, the introduction of the F-35 fleet also includes infrastructure upgrades, pilot and maintenance training, simulator acquisition and the integration of new weapons.
The training package includes eight flight simulators and an integrated training center, while the logistics package covers spare parts, support equipment and maintenance systems through 2030.
Poland plans to split the fleet between Lask and Swidwin air bases, with full operational capability expected by the end of the decade.
The F-35 acquisition forms part of one of Europe’s largest military modernization programs, accelerated after Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine in 2022.
Warsaw has also acquired FA-50 light combat aircraft from South Korea and continues to expand its air defense and strike capabilities through multiple procurement programs.
The F-35 will gradually replace part of Poland’s Soviet-era combat fleet while operating alongside the country’s F-16 fighters.
