Poland Officially Inducts US-Made F-35 Fighter Jets
Poland's armed forces have officially taken delivery of F-35 fighter jets purchased from the United States, with a ceremony held at the Lask airbase.
Poland's Armed Forces officially inducted the F-35 fighter jets acquired from the United States in a ceremony on Friday at the 32nd Tactical Air Base in Lask. The event was attended by Polish President Karol Nawrocki, Senate Marshal Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska, Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, and U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Thomas DiNanno.
As part of the celebrations, Polish F-35 pilots conducted ceremonial flyovers over Gdańsk, Warsaw, and Kraków under the banner "Greetings from Poland." The aircraft flew over the Westerplatte peninsula, then over Warsaw along the Vistula River near the Warsaw Citadel, and concluded over Kraków near Wawel Hill.
Poland ordered 32 multirole F-35 jets from U.S. manufacturer Lockheed Martin in 2020. These modern fighters are becoming among the most common combat aircraft in NATO. The first batch of three jets was delivered on May 22, 2026.
The aircraft will be stationed at the 32nd Tactical Air Base in Lask, which currently hosts some Polish F-16s, and later at the 21st Tactical Air Base in Świdwin, where recently retired Soviet-era Su-22s were previously deployed.
In March, Polish company Wojskowe Zakłady Lotnicze Nr 1 signed a contract with Lockheed Martin for the maintenance of AH-64 Apache attack helicopters in Poland.
