Poland receives first F‑35 fighter jets, landing at Łask air base

Poland’s newest fifth‑generation fighter jets, the F‑35A "Husarz", completed a high‑visibility flight over Gdańsk, Warsaw, Kraków and Łódź before landing at the 32nd Tactical Air Base in Łask. The ceremony was attended by President Karol Nawrocki, Vice‑Prime Minister and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak‑Kamysz and other senior officials. Poland has ordered 32 aircraft from Lockheed Martin in a contract worth $4.6 billion, with deliveries scheduled through 2029.

The arrival of the jets is presented as a modernisation milestone, turning the aircraft into a command‑and‑control hub that will integrate with Polish helicopters, tanks and air‑defence systems. The base’s infrastructure expansion is expected to boost the local economy of the Łódź region and create specialised maintenance jobs.

Separately, two light‑aircraft pilots traced a 350‑km aerial “F‑35” across the sky north of Kraków, demonstrating public enthusiasm for the new fighters.