Summary and Key Points: Poland is set to take delivery of its first F-35A fighter jet, serial number AZ-01, in a ceremony at Lockheed Martin's facility in Texas this week. This marks the beginning of a $4.6 billion deal for 32 F-35A aircraft, with the first jets arriving in Poland by 2026.

-The Polish Air Force will nickname the aircraft "Husarz" in honor of the nation's historic Winged Hussars.

-These fifth-generation jets will replace Poland's aging MiG-29 fleet, enhancing the country's air defense capabilities amidst rising concerns over potential conflicts with Russia.

F-35A "Husarz": Poland’s Stealth Fighters Take Flight

Though it will still be a while before any Polish Air Force F-35 aircraft will be in the skies over their homeland, the NATO member will officially take delivery of the first of its fifth-generation stealth aircraft – serial number AZ-01 – this week at a ceremony at Lockheed Martin's facility in Fort Worth, Texas.

It will be the first of a total of thirty-two F-35A aircraft that Warsaw purchased in a $4.6 billion deal in 2020. It also includes training and simulators, as well as a logistic support package for the aircraft. The first of the F-35s is now set to arrive in Poland in 2026, while the first models to roll off the assembly line will be used for training in the U.S. at Ebbing Air National Guard Base (ANGB), Arkansas.

When the F-35A does finally operate from Poland, it won't be as the Lightning II – the designation employed by the United States military as well as various partner nations. Instead, the fighters will be nicknamed the "Husarz" (Polish for "Hussar") to honor the nation's infamous "Winged Hussars."

Poland has long had a tradition of giving domestic names to its warplanes, even those manufactured abroad. The F-16 Fighting Falcon is in service with the Polish Air Force as the Jastrz b (Falcon).

By the end of the decade, the NATO alliance member will establish a unit to operate the F-35 at the 32nd Tactical Air Base in Lask, in the central part of the country. It will later do the same at the 21st Tactical Air Base in Swidwin, northwest Poland.

Warsaw Replacing it Soviet Aircraft

Deliveries of Poland's nearly two-dozen F-35s will continue through 2030, as Warsaw seeks to phase out its Cold War-era Mikoyan MiG-29 (NATO reporting name Fulcrum") fighters. Last month, it was reported that Warsaw could send the remaining MiG-29s to Ukraine.

But on Tuesday, Defense Minister W adys aw Kosiniak-Kamysz emphasized that could only happen once Poland begins to receive its F-35s.

"I know that Ukraine needs many types of weapons, but our partners in Ukraine also need to understand that the Polish state must maintain its capabilities," Kosiniak-Kamysz told reporters. "Only after receiving the new aircraft will it be possible to dispose of the old aircraft, such as MiG-29s, which are still being used, in particular, for the protection of Polish airspace. Only then will we make a decision."

Warsaw clearly remains concerned that NATO could find itself at war with Russia – and perhaps for good reason. Much of Poland was subjugated by Imperial Russia until the end of the First World War, while the Soviet Red Army invaded in 1920 and the Soviet Union annexed much of what was eastern Poland at the start of World War II.

Poland was part of the Soviet-dominated Communist Bloc of nations during the Cold War.

Warsaw continues to beef up its military, investing heavily in its domestic production of hardware while acquiring the latest tanks and aircraft from the United States and South Korea. Poland's government further concluded a deal with the United States for the acquisition of AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles as well as AGM-158B-2 JASSM cruise missiles that could be employed on its future F-35s.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].

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