"The program includes not only the 32 F-35A aircraft we are accepting into Polish service today, but also two more squadrons," Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
Kosiniak-Kamysz and the classified Armed Forces Development Program
Poland’s deputy prime minister and minister of defense, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, announced at the Łask induction ceremony that the country’s classified Armed Forces Development Program, signed off in December, includes funding plans for two additional F-35 squadrons beyond the 32 jets already ordered. The program — which the government says lays out defense priorities through 2039 — has been kept largely behind closed doors since its approval.
Poland defines a squadron as 16 aircraft; two more squadrons would therefore double the current order to 64 F-35A aircraft. Kosiniak-Kamysz did not specify when the extra jets would be contracted or delivered.
Delivery schedule and training details for the 32 ordered F-35As
Poland’s current order totals 32 F-35A jets. According to statements at the ceremony, 14 of those aircraft will be fully inducted by the end of this year, another 12 will arrive next year, and deliveries of all 32 will be completed by 2029.
Training for Polish personnel is underway in the United States. In early January, the eighth F-35A Husarz arrived at the U.S. Air National Guard base in Ebbing, Arkansas as the last of the aircraft intended for Polish training. The program will train 24 Polish pilots and 90 maintainers in the U.S.; the Polish F-35As used for training are to remain at Ebbing until the third quarter of 2027, after which they will be redeployed to Poland.
Łask induction ceremony: a staged moment and symbolic continuity
The formal induction took place at the 32nd Tactical Air Base at Łask. The event opened with a fly-by of two F-35As escorted by F-16 aircraft; the jets then landed and received a traditional water salute. Attendees included President Karol Nawrocki, representatives of the Ministry of National Defense, Polish Armed Forces command staff, and U.S. Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Thomas DiNanno.
Speakers at the ceremony underscored the political continuity behind the F-35 decision, which was made in 2020 and described by officials as contentious at the time. President Karol Nawrocki thanked "[former] Minister [of National Defense] Mariusz Błaszczak" for standing firm on the purchase and called the continuation of the project "an example of the continuity of state action and responsible thinking about the security of the Republic of Poland." Kosiniak-Kamysz called the day "a day of pride for the Polish Army" and stressed continuity, stability, and building national strength.
Ceremonial moments included Lt. Col. Krzysztof "Sniper" Woelke — the first Polish F-35A pilot — presenting the Polish flag to Nawrocki and Kosiniak-Kamysz, and the selection of two "godmothers" to christen the jets: Paulina Kosiniak-Kamysz and Capt. Magdalena Boryc-Krakowian, the latter identified as the wife of Lt. Col. Maciej "Slab" Krakowian, who died in an F-16 crash in 2025.
Łask and Świdwin: infrastructure and investment to host the F-35s
Preparations at Łask Air Base began from scratch in 2022. Officials said more than a dozen investment projects were completed at a total cost of almost $700 million. Upgrades cited include a highly secured Operations and Command Center; storage and fuel areas adapted to NATO standards; modern service hangars; specialized buildings for simultaneous maintenance and repair of F-35 aircraft; locations for flight simulators; and a spare parts facility.
The main Polish F-35A basing plan names Łask and the modernized 21st Tactical Air Base in Świdwin as the principal hubs for the fleet.
How the Polish Air Force, U.S. partners, and Polish pilots and maintainers are positioned
- Polish Air Force / Polish Army: Will receive staged deliveries of the 32 ordered jets through 2029 and rely on the newly built infrastructure at Łask and the modernized 21st TAB in Świdwin to make the aircraft operational at unit scale.
- U.S. partners and program support: U.S. involvement is visible at the ceremony — represented by Undersecretary Thomas DiNanno — and through on‑the‑ground training at Ebbing, Arkansas, where the last training aircraft arrived in January and will remain until Q3 2027.
- Polish pilots and maintainers: The 24 pilots and 90 maintainers currently in U.S. training will be central to initial squadron operations; their return to Poland will coincide with redeployment of the training aircraft after Q3 2027.
Poland has marked a ceremonial milestone by inducting its first F-35As and announced planning for a much larger fleet. The public record shows funding for two more squadrons in a development plan that stretches to 2039, major base investments completed at Łask, and a phased delivery and training timeline through 2029 and 2027 respectively — but the moment of signing contracts or scheduling deliveries for any jets beyond the 32 already ordered remains unspecified. That gap between stated intent and decisive procurement timing is the concrete question left by today's ceremony.
Source: Breaking Defense — Poland intends to buy two more squads of F-35s, minister says
