{"id":2260,"date":"2026-05-25T13:05:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T13:05:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zephyrsys.us\/index.php\/2026\/05\/25\/first-polish-f-35s-arrive-at-lask-airbase\/"},"modified":"2026-05-25T13:05:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T13:05:23","slug":"first-polish-f-35s-arrive-at-lask-airbase","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zephyrsys.us\/index.php\/2026\/05\/25\/first-polish-f-35s-arrive-at-lask-airbase\/","title":{"rendered":"First Polish F-35s Arrive at \u0141ask Airbase"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Polish<\/p>\n

The first three F-35s arrived in Poland at \u0141ask Airbase after a delivery flight from Lockheed Martin\u2019s Fort Worth production plant.<\/h2>\n

The Polish Air Force<\/a> has taken delivery of its first three F-35A Lightning II fighters on national soil. The aircraft landed at \u0141ask Airbase on May 22, 2026, at the end of the delivery flight which took them from Lockheed Martin\u2019s production plant in Fort Worth, Texas, to Poland, after a stop in the Azores at Lajes Airbase.<\/p>\n

Upon arrival, the F-35s were escorted by two F-16 Fighting Falcons, Poland\u2019s current main frontline fighter aircraft. It should be noted that these are not the Polish Air Force\u2019s first F-35s, as eight of them were already delivered to Ebbing Air National Guard Base<\/a>, Arkansas, for training.<\/p>\n

\n

#F35PL<\/a> #Husarz<\/a> \"\ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf1\" pic.twitter.com\/9gTUiLm2hO<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej \"\ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf1\" (@MON_GOV_PL) May 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Poland\u2019s first F-35, designated Husarz in national service, conducted its maiden flight on Dec. 2, 2024<\/a>. Shortly thereafter the aircraft was moved to Ebbing where, as part of the training program for foreign military sales (FMS) customers of the F-35, Poland planned to base its first eight aircraft, before starting deliveries in country.<\/p>\n

The aircraft which landed at \u0141ask Airbase showed the serials 3509, 3510 and 3511, while the aircraft from 3501 to 3508 are at Ebbing. Notably, 3511 also featured a tail art representing a panther, which reflects the unofficial nickname \u201cPanther\u201d given to the F-35.<\/p>\n

\n

Poznaj tajemnice Husarza
\n\u2013
\nCzym jest technologia stealth i czy samolot #F35PL<\/a> jest niewidzialny? Co mog\u0105 wychwyci\u0107 jego sensory? Czy istniej\u0105 kody, kt\u00f3re mog\u0105 wy\u0142\u0105czy\u0107 jego systemy? Na te i wiele innych nurtuj\u0105cych pyta\u0144 odpowiada gen. dyw. pil. Ireneusz Nowak, zast\u0119pca dow\u00f3dcy\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/oBp8HaQ5nN<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej \"\ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf1\" (@MON_GOV_PL) May 24, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cThis is a great day for Poland, for the Polish Armed Forces, for the Air Force,\u201d said Deputy Prime Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz. \u201cThe first three F-35s have landed in Poland, in the 32nd Air Base in \u0141ask, which today becomes a home for our F-35 aircraft.\u201d<\/p>\n

Initially, \u0141ask was planned to host the entire F-35 fleet, according to official statements in 2021<\/a>. Later, it was decided that the fleet would be split between \u0141ask and \u015awidwin, which formerly hosted the Su-22 Fitter fleet.<\/p>\n

\n

Witajcie w Polsce! \"\ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf1\"
\nTrzy F-35 wsp\u00f3lnie na niebie z naszymi F-16\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/5U4l9IaZmI<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 W\u0142adys\u0142aw Kosiniak-Kamysz (@KosiniakKamysz) May 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u0141ask is also one of the two bases hosting the Polish F-16C\/D Block 52 fleet. The jets will undergo a Mid Life Upgrade (MLU) program<\/a> for the upgrade to the F-16V\u00a0Block 72 standard which, among all things, will allow an improved integration with the F-35.<\/p>\n

Polish F-35A program<\/h3>\n

On Sept. 11, 2019, the U.S. State Department approved the sale of 32 F-35 fifth-generation jets to Poland at a cost of USD 6.5 billion, according to a Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announcement. Poland opted for the F-35A CTOL (Conventional Take-Off and Landing) variant to replace its aging Soviet-era MiG-29 and Su-22 fleets.<\/p>\n

\n

Like my wife mentioned, despite the rain and fog, we were able to catch the departure of RETRO 6-1, the first 3 F35A Husarz heading across the Atlantic to Poland \"\ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf1\" with a KC46 Pegasus. https:\/\/t.co\/DwAsfkyQ79<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/99kLKIMVHW<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Gherardo Fontana (@gfontana767) May 21, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In January 2020, a contract was signed for the procurement of 32 F-35s, with first delivery initially expected in 2024. Along with the aircraft, Poland has also acquired various weapon systems for the F-35, including AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles and \u201cseveral hundreds\u201d\u00a0AGM-158B JASSM-ER<\/a>\u00a0cruise missiles.<\/p>\n

Further weapons procurements were also approved, such as AIM-9X-2 Sidewinder missiles and AGM-88G Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile-Extended Range (AARGM-ER) missiles. The deals were signed in 2024 and 2025, respectively, followed by a deal for the AIM-120D-3 AMRAAM<\/a> in 2025.<\/p>\n\n

In 2021, it was decided that the Polish F-35 fleet of 32 aircraft would be entirely stationed at\u00a0\u0141ask AB<\/a>\u00a0in central Poland. Later, \u015awidwin was also selected, with the F-35s divided among the two bases.<\/p>\n

On Aug. 28, 2024, the first Polish Air Force F-35A, designated AZ-01, was officially unveiled<\/a> during a roll-out ceremony at Lockheed Martin\u2019s Fort Worth facilities, Texas, in the presence of Polish officials. The first aircraft to fly, however was AZ-02, which \u00a0successfully completed its first test flight on Dec. 2, 2024.<\/p>\n

\n

Do tej pory fabryk\u0119 Lockheed Martin w Fort Worth opu\u015bci\u0142o trzyna\u015bcie przeznaczonych dla Polski samolot\u00f3w #F35PL<\/a>. Trzy z nich s\u0105 ju\u017c w Polsce.
\n\u2013
\nF-35 Lightning II to my\u015bliwiec pi\u0105tej generacji. Samolot zosta\u0142 zbudowany w technologii stealth, kt\u00f3ra utrudnia namierzanie go przez\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/YSMWl2KlIN<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej \"\ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf1\" (@MON_GOV_PL) May 23, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The first aircraft were delivered to Ebbing Air National Guard Base, Arkansas, where Polish pilot training is taking place, as the base is used for the training of foreign military sales (FMS) customers. The first F-35s were planned to arrive in Poland in 2026, with the remainder of the fleet to be delivered by 2030.<\/p>\n

As\u00a0expected, Polish Air Force F-35s don\u2019t sport the traditional white-and-red checkerboard<\/a> symbol, replaced by a low-visibility version of the emblem. This marks a significant change, as all Polish Air Force aircraft have historically worn the full-color white-and-red checkerboard, including Su-22s and MiG-29s, even after being repainted in new all-grey camouflage schemes.<\/p>\n

\n

Pierwsze #F35PL<\/a> ju\u017c w bazie lotniczej w \u0141asku. Jak wspomnia\u0142 wczoraj podczas przylotu maszyn wicepremier W. @KosiniakKamysz<\/a> b\u0119d\u0105 to pierwsze my\u015bliwce pi\u0105tej generacji, kt\u00f3re b\u0119d\u0105 stacjonowa\u0107 na wschodniej flance NATO. \u2013 To zmienia bezpiecze\u0144stwo ca\u0142ego regionu \u2013 m\u00f3wi\u0142. Zaznaczy\u0142\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/Ov2ALbsFEI<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej \"\ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf1\" (@MON_GOV_PL) May 23, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The Polish F-35\u2019s name<\/h3>\n

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 jets. Individuals submitted\u00a0their proposed name for the F-35 fighter under a post on the official profile of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces on social media that remained online between April 12 and April 18, 2024.<\/p>\n

At the end of the poll, Husarz (Polish for Winged Hussar) was selected as the official nickname for the Polish F-35. Noteworthy, until now, the nicknames of individual aircraft in Polish service were described by birds of prey (like \u201cSokol\u201d, Polish for \u201cFalcon\u201d, or Jastrz\u0119bie, Polish for Hawk).<\/p>\n

\n

\"\u2708\" Czas na Wasz\u0105 decyzj\u0119\"\u2757\"<\/p>\n

Czy wiecie, \u017ce w 1 etapie pad\u0142o blisko 800 pomys\u0142\u00f3w na nazw\u0119 dla \"\ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf1\" my\u015bliwca F-35?!
\nPoni\u017cej przedstawiamy Top 5:
\n1. Halny
\n2. Husarz
\n3. Harpia
\n4. Dracarys
\n5. Duch<\/p>\n

\"\u2714\"Wybierzcie nazw\u0119 i g\u0142osujcie w komentarzu podaj\u0105c odpowiedni\u0105 cyfr\u0119 ju\u017c dzi\u015b!\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/CPuMQqDxOS<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Sztab Generalny WP (@SztabGenWP) April 22, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The\u00a0\u2018Hussar\u2019 was a member of a class of light cavalry that was first formed in the Kingdom of Poland at the beginning of the 16th Century.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The first three F-35s arrived in Poland at \u0141ask Airbase after a delivery flight from Lockheed Martin\u2019s Fort Worth production plant. The Polish Air Force has taken delivery of its first three F-35A Lightning II fighters on national soil. The aircraft landed at \u0141ask Airbase on May 22, 2026, at the end of the delivery […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2261,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zephyrsys.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2260","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zephyrsys.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zephyrsys.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zephyrsys.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zephyrsys.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2260"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/zephyrsys.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2260\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zephyrsys.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zephyrsys.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zephyrsys.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2260"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zephyrsys.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}