Lockheed Martin has completed final assembly of three additional F-35A Husarz jets for Poland, bringing the total number of Polish aircraft off the production line to seven. According to the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, aircraft AZ-05, AZ-06 and AZ-07 will be transferred from the NAS Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas, to Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas by the end of the year.
The new aircraft will join four F-35A Husarz jets already stationed at Ebbing ANGB, supporting pilot training for the Polish Air Force. “Kolejne dwa polskie F-35 wzbiły się w powietrze. Już siedem polskich Husarzy zjechało z taśm produkcyjnych Lockheed Martin,” the General Staff stated.
Since the first flight by a Polish pilot on 31 January this year, two pilots have completed the instructor course and two more are currently training to become instructors after finishing the F-35 conversion course. An additional two future instructors have just begun their transition training on the aircraft.
Training has also been completed by support system administrators and logistics and technical personnel. Engineering and maintenance crews from various specialties, as well as supporting staff, are currently undergoing training, with some already in the practical phase at Ebbing ANGB.
The final training aircraft, AZ-08, is scheduled to join the fleet in the US in February 2026. After training concludes in the third quarter of 2027, these eight aircraft will be relocated to Poland to serve operational roles.
Deliveries of the remaining 25 F-35A Husarz jets will begin in 2026, with 14 to be delivered directly to Poland. The first aircraft are expected to arrive between May and June next year, with deployment at the modernised 32nd Tactical Air Base in Łask and later at the 21st Tactical Air Base in Świdwin.
Poland ordered 32 F-35A jets in a $4.6 billion contract signed in early 2020, marking the second-largest defence deal in the country’s history. The production of the first aircraft was completed in August 2024, with all deliveries scheduled to conclude by 2029.
The F-35A, developed under the Joint Strike Fighter programme, offers interoperability with systems such as PATRIOT and features stealth technology, allowing it to evade enemy air defences. These aircraft are primarily used for Suppression of Enemy Air Defence (SEAD) missions, but their sensor fusion, data capabilities, and network-centric design enable them to act as command platforms in multi-domain operations.
As the Polish Air Force continues to build its capacity, the F-35A Husarz fleet will form two tactical squadrons and significantly enhance national and allied defence readiness.
Source: General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces.
