Poland is set to receive its first F-35 Husarz fighters at the 32nd Tactical Air Base in Lask in the third week of May 2026, becoming the first country on NATO’s eastern flank to operate a fifth-generation combat aircraft. This was confirmed by Maciej Trelka, Deputy Inspector of the Polish Air Force, during the Defence24 Days conference in Warsaw on May 6.
The 32 aircraft ordered under a 2020 contract and given the distinctly Polish designation Husarz have had their pilots and maintenance crews training in the United States for several years.
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At the same time, Poland has been rebuilding its air force infrastructure to support the new fleet. Both Lask and Swidwin air bases are being adapted for fifth-generation operations, with new maintenance facilities, communications systems, and hardened digital networks under construction. In practice, the Polish military is redesigning its command architecture to meet the demands of modern high-intensity warfare.
The F-35s will not replace Poland’s existing F-16 fleet they will operate alongside it. Poland currently fields 48 F-16C/D Block 52+ fighters, which remain the backbone of its tactical aviation. In 2025, Warsaw decided to upgrade the entire fleet to the F-16V standard, adding AESA radars, new communications systems, and improved integration with the F-35. The result is a two-tier model in which the F-35s conduct penetration and data-collection missions, while the modernized F-16s carry the main strike burden. NATO currently considers this combination one of the most effective force structures for modern air warfare, as the F-35 can fuse information from aircraft, air defense systems, ground forces, and intelligence assets into a single digital battlefield picture.
South Korean FA-50s also complete the fleet as an interim solution acquired to fill the gap left after Poland transferred part of its MiG-29 fleet to Ukraine. The FA-50PL variant is expected to gain expanded combat capabilities and full NATO systems integration, but Polish military planning documents openly describe it as a temporary measure until the F-35 and upgraded F-16 fleets achieve full operational capability.
Poland’s ambitions extend far beyond fixed-wing aviation. Warsaw is set to receive 96 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters one of the largest Apache orders in the world alongside ongoing deliveries of AW149 multirole helicopters and upgrades to search-and-rescue and transport platforms. Separate programs cover MRTT aerial refueling aircraft, electronic intelligence platforms, and new radar complexes, all designed to operate as part of a unified system together with Patriot and Narew air defense batteries.
AH-64E Apache attack helicopters / Open source photo
Polish commanders currently assess that the country requires ten tactical aviation squadrons, while the Polish Air Force presently fields eight. Warsaw has made no secret of its plans to continue expanding. By any measure, Poland is building one of the largest aviation components on NATO’s eastern flank and the arrival of the first F-35s this May is the clearest sign yet of how far that effort has progressed.