On Thursday, October 1, 2026, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced on social media that the ninth Lockheed Martin F-35A Husarz multirole fighter intended for the Polish Air Force had landed at the 32nd Tactical Air Base in Łask-Buczek.
Do naszej bazy w Łasku dotarł dziewiąty F-35. To pierwszy samolot z włoskiej linii produkcyjnej. Dostawy nowoczesnych samolotów „Husarz” to zasadniczy element budowy zdolności naszych Sił Powietrznych.
Samoloty 5. generacji znacząco zwiększają możliwości rozpoznania, rażenia i… pic.twitter.com/5KSYSKGbwE— Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz (@KosiniakKamysz) October 1, 2026
„The ninth F-35 has arrived at our base in Łask. It is the first aircraft from the Italian production line. Deliveries of the modern ‘Husarz’ aircraft are a key element in building the capabilities of our Air Force.
Fifth-generation aircraft significantly enhance reconnaissance, strike, and interoperability capabilities with our NATO allies. Deliveries are proceeding according to plan.”
Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz
The first three aircraft, with manufacturer serial numbers AZ-09 to AZ-11 and registration numbers 3509 to 3511, arrived on May 22 this year at the 11th Air Squadron of the 32nd Tactical Air Base in Łask-Buczek, which had been certified on March 10. They formally entered service with the Polish Air Force on June 12. Then, on August 28, five more aircraft, numbered AZ-12 to AZ-16 and registered 3512–3516, landed at the base. All of them were produced at the Final Assembly and Check-Out (FACO) facility in Fort Worth, Texas, operated by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, part of Lockheed Martin.
Today, aircraft AZ-17, registration 3517, landed at Łask-Buczek. It had made its first flight on July 22 this year from the airfield adjacent to the FACO facility in Cameri, in the Piedmont region and Novara province, operated by Leonardo. It is therefore the first Italian-built example for Poland. The first 16 aircraft were built in the United States, while the second batch of 16 is being produced in Italy. Final assembly of this aircraft began on June 13, 2025, when the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces published photographs on social media showing the forward section of its fuselage.
Another aircraft, AZ-18, registration 3518, made its first flight on September 15.
Photo: Diego Mor aka. _diego.spotter_ via Instagram
The first eight F-35As from the U.S. production line, AZ-01 through AZ-08, are currently stationed at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith, Arkansas, for training purposes, where they will remain until the third quarter of 2027.
Ultimately, the Italian-built aircraft, from AZ-17 (3517) through AZ-32 (3532), will be assigned to a second squadron at the 21st Tactical Air Base in Świdwin, which is currently undergoing modernization.
By the end of this year, 14 F-35A Husarz aircraft are expected to be stationed in Poland, including six from FACO Cameri. A further 12 aircraft are to be redeployed in 2027, with the overall delivery process scheduled for completion in 2029.
The Armed Forces Development Program for 2025–2039 includes the possibility of purchasing another 32 aircraft, which would bring the Polish Air Force fleet to 64 aircraft organized into four squadrons. The procurement could be financed in part through another U.S. loan worth 4 billion USD (14.68 billion PLN) under the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program, granted on September 9 this year.
Meanwhile, on July 10, the Ministry of National Defence reported that Polish pilots had become the first foreign users to complete the full F-35A Lightning II training cycle at Ebbing Air National Guard Base.
Z ziemi włoskiej do Polski 🇮🇹 🇵🇱
Pierwszy października = pierwszy F-35 z włoskiej linii produkcyjnej.fot. chor. Piotr Gubernat pic.twitter.com/ExIM0g4gn1
— Agencja Uzbrojenia (@AgencjaUzbr) October 1, 2026
