Defence & Space

Australian assembly of first Rheinmetall’s MASS naval countermeasure systems

Rheinmetall Defence Australia has commenced Australian assembly of the first Multi Ammunition Soft Kill (MASS) shipsets destined for installation onto…

2025-03-11 | Redakcja | 2 minutes

Army & Air Force Exchange opens Expanded Poland Store in Bemowo Piskie

The Army & Air Force Exchange Service opened an expanded store at the Bemowo Piskie Training Area (BPTA), providing enhanced…

2025-03-08 | Redakcja | 2 minutes

Run-flat inserts – an essential component of modern military wheeled vehicles

For many years, it has been observed that wheeled chassis purchased and operated by the armed forces require additional equipment to enable…

2025-03-07 | Radosław Niesobski | 4 minutes

When Trump Plays with Putin – Europe Must Arm Itself

Donald Trump makes it clear that Europe must defend itself and take care of its own security. It has taken…

2025-02-21 | Sławek Zagórski | 4 minutes

Bulgaria interested in French CAESAR howitzers

The Minister of Defense of Bulgaria, Ret. Gen. Atanas Zapryanov, announced plans to purchase French 155mm CAESAR self-propelled howitzers.

2025-03-08 | Rafał Muczyński | 3 minutes

Contract for the support of Argentine F-16s

The U.S. Department of Defense has signed a contract with Lockheed Martin to support the operation and software upgrade of Argentina’s F-16AM/BM…

2025-03-08 | Rafał Muczyński | 4 minutes

Curtiss-Wright to support USMC’s Combat Data Network Program

Curtiss-Wright Receives $18 million follow-on order from U.S. Marine Corps to support Combat Data Network Program with Tactical Communications.

2025-03-08 | Redakcja | 2 minutes

Elbit Systems to provide JNDFC Center for a European Country

Elbit Systems awarded contracts totaling approximately $100 million to provide Joint National Digital Fires Command Center for a European country.

2025-02-10 | Redakcja | 2 minutes

Mactronic on Enforce Tac 2025

Mactronic Group redefines tactical lighting with groundbreaking innovations debuting for the first time at this year’s Enforce Tac event.

2025-02-21 | Redakcja | 2 minutes

Thales, Milrem Robotics, and EM&E Group sign a MoU for strategic cooperation in the UAE

Milrem Robotics, the world’s leading robotics and autonomous systems developer, EM&E Group, a prominent defence technology provider, and Thales in Belgium,…

2025-02-20 | Redakcja | 2 minutes

Australian assembly of first Rheinmetall’s MASS naval countermeasure systems

Rheinmetall Defence Australia has commenced Australian assembly of the first Multi Ammunition Soft Kill (MASS) shipsets destined for installation onto…

2025-03-11 | Redakcja | 2 minutes

Curtiss-Wright to support USMC’s Combat Data Network Program

Curtiss-Wright Receives $18 million follow-on order from U.S. Marine Corps to support Combat Data Network Program with Tactical Communications.

2025-03-08 | Redakcja | 2 minutes

More MSBS Grot rifles for the Polish Border Guard

Fabryka Broni Łucznik-Radom, part of the Polish Armaments Group, and the Border Guard Headquarters have signed a contract for the next…

2025-02-27 | Redakcja | 3 minutes

Illegal Migration to Europe in January 2025

The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) has published statistics on attempts to illegally cross the EU’s external borders in…

2025-02-24 | Redakcja | 3 minutes

Australian assembly of first Rheinmetall’s MASS naval countermeasure systems

Rheinmetall Defence Australia has commenced Australian assembly of the first Multi Ammunition Soft Kill (MASS) shipsets destined for installation onto…

2025-03-11 | Redakcja | 2 minutes

Army & Air Force Exchange opens Expanded Poland Store in Bemowo Piskie

The Army & Air Force Exchange Service opened an expanded store at the Bemowo Piskie Training Area (BPTA), providing enhanced…

2025-03-08 | Redakcja | 2 minutes

Further Polish-Korean Talks at the Polish Ministry of National Defense

Deputy Minister of National Defense Paweł Bejda met in Warsaw with Hyunki Cho, Deputy Minister of the Defense Acquisition Program…

2025-03-07 | Redakcja | 2 minutes

France is considering deploying Rafale jets with nuclear weapons in Germany

As reported by The Telegraph, after a meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President Donald Trump, the Élysée Palace is…

2025-02-26 | Rafał Muczyński | 5 minutes

Cooperation Agreement between Radmor and WiRan

The Gdynia-based companies Radmor and WiRan have signed a cooperation agreement for the development of projects in the space industry. The…

2025-02-24 | Redakcja | 3 minutes

Bonus Food Project: Meals from Kielce-Based Company LYOFOOD Are Heading to Space

As part of the first Polish mission to the International Space Station, the Kielce-based company LYOFOOD, in collaboration with the European…

2025-02-10 | Redakcja | 7 minutes
Shooting

IWA 2025: Leupold’s New Products

In a short video report from IWA OutdoorClassics 2025, a Leupold representative discusses the key new products for this year.

2025-03-10 | Michał Ihnatów | 1 minutes

Enforce Tac 2025: Hornady

Hornady, a U.S.-based manufacturer of ammunition and shooting accessories, presented new products in its lineup at Enforce Tac 2025.

2025-03-08 | Michał Ihnatów | 1 minutes

IWA 2025: Leupold’s New Products

In a short video report from IWA OutdoorClassics 2025, a Leupold representative discusses the key new products for this year.

2025-03-10 | Michał Ihnatów | 1 minutes

Enforce Tac 2025: Hornady

Hornady, a U.S.-based manufacturer of ammunition and shooting accessories, presented new products in its lineup at Enforce Tac 2025.

2025-03-08 | Michał Ihnatów | 1 minutes

Enforce Tac 2025: Source Tactical with Ballistic Protection for Women

At the Source Tactical booth, not only popular hydration systems were showcased, but also personal ballistic protection—including armor specifically designed…

2025-02-26 | Michał Ihnatów | 2 minutes

CuraheeGear introduces the TF-50 uniform set to its product lineup

CuraheeGear introduces the TF-50 uniform set, which includes pants designed specifically for the Commando Military Unit (Jednostka Wojskowa Komandosów) in…

2025-02-18 | Michał Ihnatów | 4 minutes

Enforce Tac 2025 starts on February 24th

Enforce Tac is an international trade fair aimed at law enforcement officers, experts from government agencies, and representatives of the…

2025-01-30 | Michał Ihnatów | 4 minutes

POLSECURE: Holsters HPE Poland offer for uniformed services

At the 3rd International Police and Public Security Fair POLSECURE 2024 in Kielce, Holsters HPE Poland presented its offer for…

2024-05-01 | Redakcja | 2 minutes

IWA 2025: WBP Rogów presents Piast rifle

The Wytwórnia Broni Jacek Popiński (WBP Rogów) is presenting a highly anticipated new product at the IWA OutdoorClassics 2025 trade fair…

2025-02-27 | Michał Ihnatów | 3 minutes

Enforce Tac 2025: Sarsilmaz’s Latest Offerings

Sarsilmaz showcased a large part of its product lineup at EnforceTac 2025. The booth featured both long guns and handguns—including a new…

2025-02-26 | Michał Ihnatów | 5 minutes

Setting Up a Shooting Belt: An Example with Clawgear

To assist with shooting training and beyond, various belts and gear configurations have been developed and customized to suit individual needs. It’s…

2024-11-28 | Łukasz Kołodziejski | 14 minutes

Weapon light: a practical tool for everyday service. How to choose?

In the world of armed forces, where every second can determine the outcome of an operation, precision and effectiveness are…

2024-08-29 | Redakcja | 7 minutes

Over 100% increase in gun permits in Poland in 2024

The Polish Police have released statistical data on firearm permits issued in 2024. An increasing number of Poles now hold…

2025-02-20 | Michał Ihnatów | 5 minutes

Firearms In Poland 2023: Number of permits continues to grow

The National Police Headquarters has released statistics regarding the number of firearm permits and firearms themselves in the hands of…

2024-02-17 | Michał Ihnatów | 5 minutes

5 Best Value ATN Rifle Scopes Under €1500

ATN is a leading manufacturer of daytime optics, smart night vision, and thermal vision technology. The innovative features and ergonomic designs…

2022-11-11 | Redakcja | 8 minutes

MILMAG Visits Grand Power

Grand Power is a Slovak manufacturer of the acknowledged good quality firearms. Take part in our guided tour with English subtitles.

2022-05-23 | Redakcja | 1 minutes

TEST: Direct Action Vanguard Uniform

The Vanguard is a uniform set from the Polish brand Direct Action, designed in collaboration with special forces soldiers. There are…

2025-01-19 | Michał Gaweł | 18 minutes

EOTECH Holographic Sight – History, Technology, Practice

The holographic sight is a device known for nearly 30 years and used by professionals around the world. A favorite sight of many…

2024-09-02 | Michał Gaweł | 12 minutes

EOTECH Holographic Sight – History, Technology, Practice

The holographic sight is a device known for nearly 30 years and used by professionals around the world. A favorite sight of many…

2024-09-02 | Michał Gaweł | 12 minutes

Low-visibility checkerboard on Polish F-35A confirmed

Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, General Wiesław Kukuła, confirmed that future Polish Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II multi-role aircraft will receive a gray-scale Polish Air Force checkerboard national markings.

On Sunday, April 28, 2024, Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, General Wiesław Kukuła, confirmed in a post on the social media platform X that future Polish multi-role aircraft Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II will have the Polish Air Force checkerboard insignia in gray-scale color scheme (so-called low-visibility or low-vis) instead of traditional white-and-red ones. Although some mainstream media outlets sensationalized this topic with dramatic headlines, it is not surprising.

Images: Lockheed Martin

The Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces officially confirmed, in a post by editor Tomasz Dmitruk from Dziennik Zbrojny and Nowa Technika Wojskowa, what was expected.

Polish F-35s will not feature traditional white-and-red checkers. Instead, on this model, we will apply checkers in a grayscale defined by covering technology. We are changing the regulations in this regard. (…) This is a conscious decision – we even received information on how it will affect the probability of detection. The most important thing is ‘warfighting’ and the safety of our pilots, informed General Wiesław Kukuła.

https://twitter.com/wieslawkukula/status/1784484953427689709

https://twitter.com/wieslawkukula/status/1784487488053985339

In fact, the white-and-red aircraft checkerboard was officially presented only during the XXVIII International Defence Industry Exhibition (MSPO) in Kielce in 2020 on a model of the F-35A aircraft at Lockheed Martin’s booth (less than eight months after Poland signed the contract to purchase these aircraft). It seems that it was merely a marketing move by the manufacturer, intended only to highlight the arrival of a new user of the F-35 aircraft.

Model of F-35A on MSPO 2020 / Photo: MILMAG Archives

Starting from the XXIX MSPO 2021, the presented model shown checkerboard in shades of gray:

Photo: Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin presented future Polish aircraft with low-vis color scheme checkerboards in following press releases and promotional materials (see also the main photo):

As for the currently applicable law, according to the regulation issued by the Minister of National Defense on February 6, 2012, amending the regulation on the manner of using signs of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland, checkerboards on aircraft, specifically airplanes, are placed on both sides of the vertical stabilizer (in the case of twin vertical stabilizers, only on the outer surfaces of the vertical stabilizers) and on the lower and upper surfaces of the left and right wing (in the case of biplanes – on the lower surfaces of the left and right lower wings and on the upper surfaces of the left and right upper wings).

Therefore, the checkerboards shown in press materials on the front part of the fuselage under the pilot’s cabin or on the middle part of the fuselage where the engine air intake is located are non-regulatory (following their placement on aircraft of other users worldwide), which has been pointed out after the presentation of the first visualizations. Nevertheless, in other NATO countries, signs of reduced visibility or asymmetrical distribution are allowed.

The low-vis checkerboard project based on promotional materials (Note: it should not be treated as an official pattern, as it must be approved by the Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces) / Photo: Wikimedia Commons

In principle, almost all current and future users of the F-35 have implemented or plan to apply their air force signs in shades of gray. The exception is the Danes, whose aircraft received, interestingly, white-and-red signs, consistent with their national colors (to be more precise: red-and-light gray). From earlier information, it appears that the red color was achieved thanks to a dye specially developed at the request of the government in Copenhagen, compatible with a special RAM (Radar Absorbent Material) coating applied to all F-35 aircraft, which aims to absorb radar waves.

One of the four Danish F-35A aircraft delivered so far. / Photo: Danish Ministry of Defense

Another exception is the single Israeli F-35I Adir, but this is merely an experimental specimen, delivered in August 2020, which serves at the Tel Nof Air Base in the Central District for experimental integration of domestically produced avionics and weaponry. Apart from the blue Star of David on a white circle, various other multicolored elements can be observed. It is worth noting that this is the only experimental F-35 outside the USA, and these do not have to adhere to the requirement of using low-vis colors. For instance, on experimental and test aircraft used in the USA, multicolored flags of countries participating in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program are placed, as well as the colors of test units to which they are assigned.

Photo: Amit Agronow, Chejl-ha Awir

Meanwhile, today marks the end of the competition for the name of the Polish F-35A, organized by the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, and among nearly 800 proposals, the most frequently mentioned were: Halny (Polish Highland Wind), Husarz (Winged Hussar), Harpia (Harpy), Dracarys, and Duch (Ghost).

https://twitter.com/SztabGenWP/status/1782493516314075361

The premiere of the first Polish aircraft of this type is getting closer. On April 25th of this year, the American newspaper Arkansas Business reported, citing its sources in the US Department of Defense, that in the fall of this year, the first Polish soldiers will arrive at the Ebbing Air Base of the Arkansas National Guard in Fort Smith to begin training on F-35A aircraft produced for Poland. This means that the presentation should take place in the coming weeks or months, as assembly began last year.

Update

The General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces announced that the Polish F-35s will be named Husarz:

https://twitter.com/SztabGenWP/status/1784984317606740010?t=2tLw2UQJwwBC9vusGdcu_Q&s=19

… and replaced wrong picture of the aircraft with the correct one.

https://twitter.com/SztabGenWP/status/1785042427671146547?t=RDPakThZYoMtWYmrEUkIoA&s=19

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