The first F-35A of the Polish Air Force was officially unveiled at a ceremony in Fort Worth, Texas.
On August 28, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. local time, the first F-35A of the Polish Air Force, designated AZ-01, was officially unveiled at a rollout ceremony in the presence of State Secretary in the Ministry of Defense Paweł Bejda, Deputy Minister of Defense Cezary Tomczyk and representatives of the Polish Air Force Command Staff at the Lockheed Martin facility in Fort Worth, Texas.
Vice Minister @pawelbejda: Prezentacja pierwszego polskiego samolotu F-35 to kolejny kamień milowy w transformacji Sił Zbrojnych Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej. The fun is in transforming new things, finding new ways, finding new places and finding new places that are loved by many people… pic.twitter.com/wRYbCyWPNT
— Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej 🇵🇱 (@MON_GOV_PL) 28 August 2024
The first aircraft will initially be based at Ebbing Air Force Base in Arkansas, where training for Polish pilots will also take place. The first F-35s are expected to arrive in Poland in 2026, with the rest of the fleet to be delivered by 2030.
Oto pierwszy polski samolot F-35A Lightning II 🇵🇱
During the Święta Lotnictwa Polskiego, in Fort Worth and the Teksasie, the Polish Myśliwiec V Generacji Pierwszy were zaprezentowany.
To accelerate the process of transformation of RP and other processes. Zmieni przyszłość… pic.twitter.com/kApIpzFt7d
— Sztab Generalny WP (@SztabGenWP) 28 August 2024
As expected, the Polish Air Force’s F-35s do not carry the traditional white and red checkerboard symbol, but a less conspicuous version of the emblem. This is a significant change, as all Polish Air Force aircraft previously carried the full-colour white and red checkerboard, including the Su-22 and MiG-29, even after they were repainted in new, all-grey camouflage patterns.
So far, the inconspicuous checkerboard pattern has only been used on a W-3 Sokół helicopter of the Polish special forces JW2305 GROM. Although the concept was also demonstrated by the WZL Bydgoszcz maintenance facility, it has never been used on an active aircraft.
General Wiesław Kukuła, Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, announced on X that the traditional white and red checkerboard pattern would not be found on the Polish F-35s, as the grey-tinted version would improve the aircraft’s stealth capabilities. This despite the fact that almost all newer F-35 operators, including the Danish and Belgian air forces, have opted for colourful roundels and national flags.
Polish F-35A program
On September 11, 2019, the U.S. State Department approved the sale of 32 fifth-generation F-35 jets to Poland in a deal valued at $6.5 billion, according to a Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announcement. Poland chose the Conventional Take-Off and Landing (CTOL) variant of the F-35A to replace its aging Soviet-era MiG-29 and Su-22 fleets.
In January 2020, a contract for the procurement of 32 5th generation aircraft was signed, with the first delivery expected in 2024.
In addition to the aircraft, Poland has also acquired various weapons systems for the F-35, including AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles and “several hundred” AGM-158B JASSM-ER cruise missiles. In addition, the US State Department and Congress have approved other purchases, including AIM-9X-2 Sidewinder missiles and AARGM-ER anti-radiation missiles.
According to an interview by the Polish Press Agency (PAP) with the head of the Ministry of Defense, Minister Mariusz Błaszczak, the Polish F-35 fleet of 32 aircraft will be based at the Łask airfield in central Poland in 2021.
Following the acquisition of the F-35 by the Polish Armed Forces, the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces announced a competition for the name of the new fighter jet. Individuals submitted their name proposal for the F-35 fighter jet under a post on the official social media profile of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, which remained online from April 12 to 18, 2024.
At the end of the survey, Husarz (Polish for winged hussar) was chosen as the official nickname for the Polish F-35. It is noteworthy that until now in Polish service the nicknames of individual aircraft were described with birds of prey (such as “Sokol”, Polish for “falcon”, or Jastrzębie, Polish for hawk). “Hussar” was a member of a class of light cavalry first established in the Kingdom of Poland at the beginning of the 16th century.
With the delivery of the F-35, Ukraine will also have MiG-29s at its disposal in two years.
As mentioned, the Polish Air Force’s first F-35A will be deployed to the US for training purposes, and the new aircraft will not be based in Poland until 2026. This means that Warsaw will not be able to transfer its remaining MiG-29 aircraft to Ukraine before 2026, as Poland’s Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz recently said.
David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the founder and editor of The Aviationist, one of the world’s most popular and widely read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major international magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the US, Europe, Australia and Syria and flown several combat aircraft from various air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. in the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in computer engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more.
