The arrival of the first three Polish F-35A fighter in Poland with their insignia covered

This Friday, the Polish Air Force experienced a historic day with the arrival in Poland of its first fifth-generation fighter jets.

The first flights of Polish pilots on F-35A Husarz fighters acquired by Poland
Lockheed Martin presents the F-35A Husarz, the new winged hussar of the Polish Air Force

Yesterday, the first three F-35As of the Polish Air Force arrived at the 32nd Tactical Air Base in Łask, in the Łódź Voivodeship. This video, released by the Polish Ministry of Defense, shows these three aircraft in flight, filmed from an F-16D:

#F35PL #Husarz 🇵🇱 pic.twitter.com/9gTUiLm2hO

— Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej 🇵🇱 (@MON_GOV_PL) May 22, 2026

And here we see the moment of their arrival at the aforementioned base:

#F35PL już w Polsce! Dołączamy do grupy państw z myśliwcami 5. generacji. F-35 posiadają właściwości „stealth”, które stanowią kluczowy element umożliwiający skuteczną realizację zadań w przypadku konfliktu z przeciwnikiem posiadającym zaawansowane systemy antydostępowe. pic.twitter.com/eQQBHao1z3

— Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej 🇵🇱 (@MON_GOV_PL) May 22, 2026

The three F-35As arrived in Łask escorted by two fighter jets: a two-seat F-16D (left) and a single-seat F-16C (right). Poland is the eighth European country to receive the F-35 and the first former Warsaw Pact country to operate these aircraft.

As you can see in this image taken from the F-16D, the three F-35As had radar reflectors installed to provide a stronger radar signature for air traffic control. These are the small vertical fins we see on the inside of their wings, just in front of the drifts.

Another significant detail is that these three F-35As arrived in Poland with their Polish markings covered by circular gray stickers. The F-35As are the first Polish fighters to bear the distinctive checkered national markings in a low-visibility gray design, instead of using the national colors of white and red. The F-35As have the Polish markings on the outer surface of their two tail drifts. If they are covered, it is likely because they only officially become part of the Polish Air Force upon their official delivery and are then authorized to display the markings.

These first three aircraft are the 3509, 3510 and 3511. As is customary in the world of military aviation, these new fighters were greeted with a water salute by the firefighters of Łask Air Base.

Another interesting detail about the new fighter jets is that one of these F-35As, the 3511, has arrived in Poland with a panther decorated on its tail drifts. @P_Militarny points out that the reason for this is that F-35 pilots give this aircraft the unofficial nickname "Panther."

Poland acquired a total of 32 F-35A stealth fighters from the United States in 2020 for $4.6 billion. This model is officially known as the "Husarz" (Hussar) in the Central European country. The aircraft will be divided into two squadrons of 16 planes each. The first will be based at the 32nd Tactical Air Base in Łask and the second at the 21st Tactical Air Base in Świdwin. Poland expects to receive 14 F-35s this year and 12 next year.

The presentation of the first Polish F-35A took place on August 28, 2024, coinciding with Święto Lotnictwa Polskiego (Polish Aviation Day). On December 2024, the first two Polish F-35As, 3501 and 3502, arrived at Air National Guard Base (ANG) in Ebbing, Arkansas, to begin training the first Polish F-35A pilots in January 2025. The first flight of a Polish pilot in an F-35 took place on January 31, 2025 at that American air base.

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Photos: Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej / 32 Bazą Lotnictwa Taktycznego.