First F-35s delivered to Poland

One of the first three F-35A Husarz combat aircraft to be flown to Poland arrived at the 32nd Tactical Air Base at Łask Airfield on 22 May 2026. (Armament Agency)

The first three of 32 Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II (F-35PL Husarz [Hussar] in national service) Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft for the Polish Air Force (Inspektorat Sił Powietrznych: ISP) were delivered into the 32nd Tactical Air Base at Łask Airfield on 22 May 2026.

Aircraft serial numbers 3509, 3510 and 3511 were flown to their future home operating base in central Poland from the Fort Worth production facility in Texas via the Azores, supported by a US Air Force KC-46A Pegasus tanker.

“F-35PL already in Poland! We are joining the group of countries with fifth-generation fighters. F-35s feature ‘stealth' capabilities, which are a key element enabling effective mission execution in the event of a conflict with an adversary possessing advanced anti-access systems,” the Ministry of National Defence (MND) said.

The first Polish aircraft to roll off the line were delivered to Ebbing Air National Guard Base (ANGB) in Arkansas, where they have been used for pilot and maintainer training. With the commencement of arrivals into Łask Airfield, deliveries of the remaining airframes will run through to 2030.

In ISP service, the F-35A will replace the Warsaw Pact-era MiG-29 ‘Fulcrum'. Since signing for its F-35As, the MND has been acquiring weapons to equip them. These include RTX AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missiles and RTX AIM-120D-3 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs) in the air-to-air role, as well as Lockheed Martin AGM-158B-2 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles – Extended Range (JASSM-ERs) and Northrop Grumman AGM-88G Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missiles – Extended Range (AARGM-ERs) in the air-to-surface role.