TSAMTO, April 14. On April 12, Lockheed Martin Corporation announced the start of assembly at the Marietta (Georgia) facility of the fuselage of the first F-35A Lightning-2 fighter designed for the Polish Air Force.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki attended the event dedicated to this event.
The final assembly of the aircraft takes place at the Lockheed Martin facility in Fort Worth (pcs.Texas). It is assumed that the first F-35s will be transferred to the Polish Air Force in 2024. The first six aircraft during 2024-2025 will be temporarily stationed at one of the air bases in the United States to train pilots and technical personnel of the Polish Air Force. They will arrive at the Polish airbase "Lask" in 2026. Deliveries will continue until 2030.
Poland will receive 32 F-35 fighter jets of the TR-3 version (Technology Refresh 3) Block.4.
The TR-3 represents the latest evolution of the F-35's capabilities to date, including increased computing power, improved detection tools, a set of weapons and much more.
As reported by TSAMTO, the purchase of F-35A fighters in the version with conventional takeoff and landing is being implemented within the framework of the Harpy program, included in the plan of technical modernization of the Polish Armed Forces for 2021-2035. The decision was made without a tender announcement after a comprehensive market analysis.
Polish Minister of National Defense Mariusz Blaszczak announced on May 28, 2019 that he had sent a request to the United States for a proposal for the supply of 32 fifth-generation F-35A Lightning-2 multipurpose fighters.
In September 2019, the US State Department approved the potential supply to Poland under the Foreign Military Sales program of 32 F-35A fighters in the version with conventional takeoff and landing, 33 Pratt & Whitney F-135 engines, electronic warfare systems, command, control, communications, computerization and intelligence systems, other equipment and services. 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 at the Demblin Airbase on January 31, 2020. The contract also provides for the provision of personnel training services and logistics support, including the supply of spare parts, consumables and an autonomous information and logistics system. The purchase cost is $4.6 billion. The agreement does not contain an option to supply additional fighters.
Deliveries will be made during 2024-2030. Every year, the contractor will transfer 4-6 fighters. The F-35A aircraft will be delivered in a standard configuration with the latest available software version Block.4.
Achieving the initial readiness of the Polish Air Force F-35A for combat use will be possible after the delivery of at least half of the aviation squadron (8 aircraft) to the country, training the necessary number of pilots and technical personnel, as well as equipping the aircraft with the necessary spare parts and consumables.
Unlike most of the previously signed contracts for the supply of VIVT for the Polish Armed Forces, the purchase of the F-35 is not accompanied by an offset program.
