Husarz - Poland officially inducted its first F-35A Joint Strike Fighters into its Air Force, Two more Squads aimed.

• Poland’s first F-35 fighter jets took part in a ceremonial flyover over Gdansk, Warsaw and Krakow.
• The jets, delivered in May as part of a $4.6 billion deal with the U.S., were later officially named “Husarze” (Hussars).
• Of the 32 currently ordered jets, 14 will be fully inducted by the end of this year. Next year, another 12 jets will arrive, and by 2029 deliveries of all 32 aircraft will be completed.

On Friday, June 12, 2026, the 32nd Tactical Air Base in Łask hosted the commissioning ceremony for the first F-35A aircraft as Poland celebrated the arrival of its first three F-35A Husarz aircraft, marking a major milestone in the modernization of the Polish Air Force and a key step in the country’s transition to 5th Generation airpower.

The event was attended by the President of the Republic of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, the Minister of National Defense, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, as well as senior staff of the Ministry of National Defense and the command staff of the Polish Army.

To mark the occasion, two F-35s conducted a midmorning flyover of Poland, accompanied by a pair of F-16s. The aircraft appeared over Westerplatte and then proceeded along the Vistula River toward Warsaw and then Krakow.

F-35A Husarz — Poland has nicknamed its F-35s after an elite cavalry formation from the 16th to 18th centuries 

During the ceremony in Łask, F-35 pilot Lt. Col. Krzysztof Woelke reported and presented the Polish flag to the President of the Republic of Poland and the Minister of National Defense.

The modern fighter jet arrived in Poland at the end of May, the first consignment of jets resulting from a $4.6 billion deal signed with the United States in 2020 for 32 Lockheed Martin F-35As.  

• Newly delivered Polish F-35 fighter jets flew over Poland’s biggest cities in a ceremonial flyover on Friday, giving the public its first glimpse of the nation’s most advanced combat aircraft. 
• The inaugural flight, dubbed “Welcome to Poland,” saw two of the fifth-generation jets take off from an air base in the central city of Łask. 
• The first city over which the aircraft flew was the Baltic port of Gdańsk at around 09:45 local time. Next, at 10:10, the jets appeared over Warsaw, 284 km away, flying along the Vistula River. 

During the event, the Minister of National Defense announced that 11 more F-35s should arrive in Poland in the coming months, joining the three aircraft already in service. A further 12 aircraft are expected to arrive in 2027. Deliveries of 32 F-35s are expected to be completed by 2030.

The ceremony was also an opportunity to symbolically name the Polish F-35 Husarz. The godmothers were Paulina Kosiniak-Kamysz, wife of the Minister of National Defense, and Capt. Magdalena Boryc-Krakowian, wife of Lt. Col. Maciej Krakowian, who died in the F-16 crash last year.

Poland's Ministry of National Defense also confirmed that it plans to purchase additional aircraft of this type. The Armed Forces Development Program for 2025-2039 includes the acquisition of 32 additional fifth-generation multi-role aircraft, which effectively limits the choice to the F-35.

The purchase is one of the largest arms acquisitions in Poland's history and is aimed at replacing ageing Soviet-era MiG-29 and Su-22 aircraft. 

The aircraft are equipped with stealth technology and advanced sensors that allow them to gather and share battlefield data with other military assets, including air defense systems.  

On this occasion, OJ Sanchez, President, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, said,

“The arrival of the first F-35 combat aircraft in Poland represents an important milestone for the nation's defense and for regional security across Europe,”

“Poland continues to demonstrate strong leadership within NATO through its commitment to modernization and interoperability with allied forces. This milestone reinforces our enduring partnership, and we remain committed to standing alongside Polish forces as they expand and fully operationalize the F-35's 5^th Generation capability.”

Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, the deputy prime minister and minister of defense, revealed that the classified Armed Forces Development Program, which was signed off on in December, included funding plans for two further F-35 squadrons. A Polish squadron is 16 aircraft, meaning the total would double the existing order to 64. 

“The program includes not only the 32 F-35A aircraft we are accepting into Polish service today, but also two more squadrons” of F-35s, Kosiniak-Kamysz said. 

Poland expects to receive 14 F-35s by the end of this year and complete deliveries of all 32 aircraft by 2029.