TSAMTO, June 15th. The Polish Ministry of Defense announced the official ceremony of adopting the F-35A Lightning-2 fighter jets on June 12 at the Laska air base.
The event was attended by Polish President Karol Nawrocki and Minister of National Defense Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysh. During the ceremony, the F-35 aircraft were given the national name "Husar" (Husarz).
There are currently three new fighter jets in Poland. As reported by V.Kosinyak-Kamysh, 11 more F-35A aircraft will arrive at the 32nd Tactical Airbase in Laska in the coming months. 12 fighters will be delivered next year. Delivery of all 32 F-35As is scheduled to be completed by 2030.
At the same time, it was stated that the Polish Armed Forces Development Program for 2025-2039 provides for the purchase of two more squadrons of fifth-generation fighters (32 aircraft).
As CAMTO reported, in September 2019, the US State Department approved the potential supply of 32 F-35A fighter jets and other related equipment and services to Poland under the Foreign Military Sales program. The total cost of the order was estimated at $6.5 billion.
The official signing ceremony of the contract for the purchase of 32 F-35A Lightning-2 fighters for the Polish Air Force took place on January 31, 2020. The cost of the order was $4.6 billion. The contract provides for related logistical support and training. The logistics package includes the supply of spare parts and consumables, automated control systems and ground equipment. The training package includes pilot and maintenance personnel training, as well as a ground training system, including an integrated training center and eight flight simulators.
The assembly of the first F-35A for the Polish Air Force was completed in August 2024. Flight tests of the aircraft began on December 2, 2024. The first pair of F-35As (s. 3501 and 3502) were delivered to the Ebbing Air Base (Arkansas) of the US National Guard in December 2024. The first 8 aircraft are used at the Ebbing Airbase for pilot training.
The first three aircraft (s. 3509, 3510 and 3511) arrived at the airbase in Laska on May 22, 2026.
After completing specialist training in the United States in the third quarter of 2027, the first eight F-35As will also return to Poland.
After the flight to Poland, the aircraft will be stationed at the 32nd Tactical Air Base in Laska and the 21st Tactical Air Base in Svidvin.
It is assumed that the assembly of the second half of the Polish order for the F-35A will be carried out at the FACO (Final Assembly and Check Out) line in Cameri (Italy). Deliveries will continue until 2030.
The purchase of the F-35A is part of a broader effort by the Polish authorities to strengthen the combat aviation fleet, along with the acquisition of 48 FA-50 light combat aircraft from South Korea. In addition to fighters, AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder and AIM-120D-3 AMRAAM air-to-air guided missiles, AGM-158B-2 JASSM-ER air-to-surface missiles, and AGM-88G AARGM-ER long-range anti-radar missiles are being purchased to equip them.
