Defence & Space

Rheinmetall wins major order for artillery ammunition

Rheinmetall Denel Munition wins major 155mm ammunition contract. Order worth several hundred million euros, deliveries from 2025 until 2027. It…

2025-07-04 | Redakcja | 3 minutes

A contractor has been selected for the repair of Mk 75 guns on Polish OHP frigates

The Gdynia Naval Port Command has published information on the outcome of the tender procedure for the repair of two…

2025-07-02 | Rafał Muczyński | 3 minutes

SIPRI: Nuclear risks grow as new arms race looms

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute published a report entitled SIPRI Yearbook 2025, which, among other things, discusses the issue of…

2025-06-16 | Redakcja | 10 minutes

Polish 35 mm SA-35 Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun with PIT-Radwar

During the recent MSPO trade fair in Kielce, the company PIT-Radwar presented its proposal for a 35 mm self-propelled anti-aircraft gun…

2025-06-13 | Przemysław Gurgurewicz | 13 minutes

Rheinmetall wins major order for artillery ammunition

Rheinmetall Denel Munition wins major 155mm ammunition contract. Order worth several hundred million euros, deliveries from 2025 until 2027. It…

2025-07-04 | Redakcja | 3 minutes

A contractor has been selected for the repair of Mk 75 guns on Polish OHP frigates

The Gdynia Naval Port Command has published information on the outcome of the tender procedure for the repair of two…

2025-07-02 | Rafał Muczyński | 3 minutes

SKW Cryptographic Security Certificate for Polish Comp@n Radio Set from the WB Group

The WB Group announced that the Comp@n system radio set, developed by its subsidiary Radmor, along with the Cryptographic Document Management…

2025-06-14 | Redakcja | 4 minutes

Advancing multi-domain EW operations: Rohde & Schwarz unveils latest innovations at AOC Europe

Rohde & Schwarz demonstrates the next generation of SIGINT/EW systems, sensor fusion and signal analysis solutions, designed to meet the evolving…

2025-05-12 | Redakcja | 2 minutes

Autonomous and Unmanned Systems by Łukasiewicz – PIAP at the OPEX 2025 Training Ground in Italy

During the HEDI OPEX 2025 experimental campaign at the CEPOLISPE training ground in Italy, the Łukasiewicz Research Network – Industrial…

2025-06-28 | Redakcja | 4 minutes

Paris Air Show 2025: Debut of Foudre – the French HIMARS

As previously announced by Turgis & Gaillard, the 55th International Paris Air and Space Show served as the venue for the…

2025-06-23 | Radosław Niesobski | 2 minutes

Rheinmetall wins major order for artillery ammunition

Rheinmetall Denel Munition wins major 155mm ammunition contract. Order worth several hundred million euros, deliveries from 2025 until 2027. It…

2025-07-04 | Redakcja | 3 minutes

Polish Ministry of National Defence: New Contract for K2 Tanks and Support Vehicles Imminent

In Warsaw, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, along with Secretary of State at the Ministry…

2025-07-02 | Redakcja | 10 minutes

Bayraktar TB2 and FlyEye Drones to Support Polish Police Manhunt for Killer Near Limanowa

The Bayraktar TB2 drone and FlyEye systems will support the Polish police in the search for 57-year-old Tadeusz Duda, suspected…

2025-06-30 | Rafał Muczyński | 5 minutes

Galvion’s European Production Hub in Poland is formally opened by the Ambassador of Canada tothe Republic of Poland

Canadian company Galvion announced that the Canadian Ambassador to Poland, Catherine Godin, officially opened the European Production Hub in Gdańsk.

2025-06-26 | Redakcja | 4 minutes

Rheinmetall wins major order for artillery ammunition

Rheinmetall Denel Munition wins major 155mm ammunition contract. Order worth several hundred million euros, deliveries from 2025 until 2027. It…

2025-07-04 | Redakcja | 3 minutes

A contractor has been selected for the repair of Mk 75 guns on Polish OHP frigates

The Gdynia Naval Port Command has published information on the outcome of the tender procedure for the repair of two…

2025-07-02 | Rafał Muczyński | 3 minutes

East Shield and the Baltic Defense Line: Cooperation and Investment in Defense Are the Cornerstone of Europe’s Security

East Shield, the Baltic Defense Line, the integration of available deterrence and defense capabilities, and EU defense funding were the…

2025-07-02 | Redakcja | 2 minutes

Russia Loses World’s Largest Helicopter, Mi-26, in Ukrainian Attack on Crimea

The Security Service of Ukraine reported that during a special operation at the Kirovske military airfield in occupied Crimea, a Pantsir-S1 air…

2025-06-29 | Rafał Muczyński | 4 minutes

Finland Ministry of Defense selects ICEYE for space-based intelligence and surveillance capabilities

The Polish-Finnish company ICEYE and the Finnish Ministry of Defense have signed a Letter of Intent that enables the Finnish Defense…

2025-06-27 | Redakcja | 3 minutes

Axiom Mission 4: The Historic Spaceflight of Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski

June 25, 2025, will go down in history as the day when the second Pole in our history flew into…

2025-06-25 | Rafał Muczyński | 5 minutes
Shooting

CZ Shooting Team athletes take home 13 medals from the CZ Extreme Euro Open

Sport shooters representing Ceska zbrojovka brought back six gold, four silver, and three bronze medals from Hodonice, along with four…

2025-07-04 | Redakcja | 4 minutes

Upgraded Z8i Scope from SWAROVSKI OPTIK

Swarovski Optik, the Austrian optics manufacturer with nearly 80 years of tradition, has unveiled an upgraded version of its Z8i…

2025-07-03 | Mariusz Piwowar | 3 minutes

Upgraded Z8i Scope from SWAROVSKI OPTIK

Swarovski Optik, the Austrian optics manufacturer with nearly 80 years of tradition, has unveiled an upgraded version of its Z8i…

2025-07-03 | Mariusz Piwowar | 3 minutes

Streamlight introduces the SL-SideSaddle

Streamlight, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance lighting tools, announces the SL-SideSaddle series, a new hands-free lighting solution built for outdoor adventure…

2025-07-01 | Redakcja | 3 minutes

IFRE 2025: Maskpol Showcases Protective Suits and Gas Masks

Maskpol, a company within the Polish Armaments Group (PGZ), presented part of its product range—protective suits and gas masks—at the 5th…

2025-06-17 | Michał Ihnatów | 2 minutes

UF PRO Introduces Waist/Flex Belts to Its Product Line

UF PRO, a Slovenian manufacturer of professional apparel and part of the Mehler Systems group, is adding a new accessory to its lineup…

2025-06-06 | Michał Ihnatów | 2 minutes

CZ Shooting Team athletes take home 13 medals from the CZ Extreme Euro Open

Sport shooters representing Ceska zbrojovka brought back six gold, four silver, and three bronze medals from Hodonice, along with four…

2025-07-04 | Redakcja | 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

CZ Introduces the New CZ P-10 C PORTED Model

CZ P-10 C PORTED – a compact pistol with tamed recoil thanks to an integrated compensator.

2025-07-02 | Redakcja | 3 minutes

Meprolight MMX3 and MMX4 – Lightweight Magnifiers with Quality Optics

The Mepro MMX3 and MMX4, a new line of compact magnifiers from the Israeli manufacturer. How do they perform in practice and…

2025-06-27 | Krzysztof Ptak | 8 minutes

Paris Air Show 2025: Bayraktar TB3 Debuts

The 55th edition of the International Paris Air and Space Show, held in the French capital, provided an opportunity for…

2025-06-19 | Radosław Niesobski | 3 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

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

Meprolight MMX3 and MMX4 – Lightweight Magnifiers with Quality Optics

The Mepro MMX3 and MMX4, a new line of compact magnifiers from the Israeli manufacturer. How do they perform in practice and…

2025-06-27 | Krzysztof Ptak | 8 minutes

Streamlight TLR-7 HL-X – a Bayonet of Light for Your Weapon

The devil’s not so scary once you shine a light on him—and he’s certainly easier to neutralize in the spotlight. A weapon-mounted flashlight…

2025-06-09 | Anna Mielczarek | 6 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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