Poland begins F-35 transition as pilot training launched in US

One of Poland's first two of 32 F-35A combat aircraft departs Ebbing Air National Guard Base in the US for one of the Polish Air Force's first pilot training sorties. (Polish Ministry of National Defence)

Poland's transition to the Lockheed Martin F-35A Husarz combat aircraft has officially been launched with the commencement of pilot training in the United States, the Polish Ministry of National Defence (MND) announced on 6 February.

The commencement of Polish Air Force pilot training began on aircraft 3501 and 3502 atEbbing Air National Guard Base (ANGB) in Arkansas on 31 January, months after these first two of 32 F-35As were formally presented to the MND during a ceremony at the Fort Worth production facility in Texas in August 2024.

Delivery of the first aircraft to the 32nd Tactical Air Base in Łask, central Poland, will take place later in 2025, with deliveries of the remaining aircraft to run through to 2030 as the country phases out its Warsaw Pact-era MiG-29 ‘Fulcrum' fighters. The MND recently assigned the name Husarz (Hussar) to the F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) in national service.

Poland's F-35A programme is part of a wider effort by the air force to develop mass that includes the recent procurement of 48 FA-50 light combat aircraft from South Korea. The MND has an outstanding budget for 32 additional combat aircraft to be spread across two squadrons. It was earlier reported that the air force was seeking an air dominance fighter to complement the F-35As, FA-50s, and Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcons, with both the Boeing F-15EX Eagle II and the Eurofighter Typhoon being named. However, Janes