Poland has formally taken delivery of its first F-35A fighter jets, opening a multi-year induction that will run through 2029. The handover took place at the 32nd Tactical Air Base in Łask, near Łódź, where President Karol Nawrocki said the aircraft would make Poland safer and stronger.
The delivery marks the first concrete entry into service of Warsaw’s 2020 order for 32 F-35As, a $4.6 billion program built around NATO eastern-flank reinforcement and a deeper shift in Polish airpower. The jets are arriving in phases, so the aircraft now on strength are only the start of the fleet build-up and integration cycle.
For the sector, the signal is clear: Poland has moved from procurement to operational introduction, and the pace of follow-on deliveries will set the tempo for the program’s real capability gain.