The Polish Air Force will operate F-35A Husarz stealth fighters manufactured in Italy

Production of the Polish Air Force's F-35A fighter jets continues to progress, with the goal of equipping four squadrons.

Poland confirms its Air Force will have two more squadrons of F-35A Husarz fighter jets
The arrival of the first three Polish F-35A fighter in Poland with their insignia covered

The military daily Polska Zbrojna published a report today stating that the last of the Polish F-35As manufactured in the United States, the 3516th, is already undergoing flight tests in Texas. Poland purchased 32 F-35A fighter jets from the United States for $4.6 billion in 2020. The 3516th aircraft is the 16th in that batch.

At the end of July, Polska Zbrojna announced the first preview flight of the F-35A 3517, the first Husarz manufactured in Europe, specifically at the Leonardo & Lockheed Martin factory in Cameri, Italy. The Italian Republic is one of the initial partners in the F-35 program, specifically one of the two Tier 2 partners, along with the Netherlands. The United Kingdom was the sole Tier 1 partner, while the Tier 3 partners include Australia, Canada, Denmark, and Norway (Turkey was also at this level but was expelled from the program for acquiring surface-to-air missiles from the Russian Federation). The next 16 Polish F-35As of the first batch will all be manufactured in Italy, which will surely speed up deliveries.

Polska Zbrojna has reported that of the 32 F-35As initially ordered by Poland, 3509, 3510, and 3511 are already in service at the 32nd Tactical Air Base in Łask. In addition, eight more aircraft (serial numbers 3501 through 3508) are currently being used to train Polish pilots and technicians at Ebbing Air Force Base in Fort Smith, Arkansas. The Polish military daily notes that Poland will receive an additional 11 F-35As by the end of 2026, and that the delivery of the initial two Polish F-35A squadrons, totaling 32 aircraft, will be completed by 2029.

In June, the Polish government announced the purchase of two additional squadrons of F-35As, or 32 more aircraft. This will bring the Polish Air Force's fleet of these stealth fighters to 64, making it one of the largest European operators of this aircraft. Currently, the largest European fleet of F-35s belongs to the United Kingdom, with 138 fighters (one of which, an F-35B, was lost in an accident on November 17, 2021). Italy has ordered 90 aircraft and Finland 64.

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Photos: Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej.