Poland is known to have opted for the procurement of F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin in 2020 – and the program seems to be progressing well: At the beginning of December 2024 the first Polish aircraft celebrated its maiden flightand now the first Polish pilots have completed the first F-35 training phase.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz congratulated the pilots: “Professionalism and exceptional experience – these are the foundations of this success. Thank you for your commitment, for strengthening Poland’s defense capability and building interoperability with our allies. These achievements are the foundation of our common security.”
Wielkie gratulacje dla polskich ????????pilotów, którzy wczoraj w USA ????????ukończyli pierwszy etap szkolenia na samolotach F-35. Profesjonalizm i niesamowite doświadczenie – to składa się na ten sukces. Dziękuję, że swoją służbą wzmacniacie polskie zdolności obronne i budujecie… pic.twitter.com/9Zl0lGPzeK
– Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz (@KosiniakKamysz) May 10, 2025
Poland has decided to purchase a total of 32 machines. In the country, these are known as Husarz – a tribute to the legendary elite riders of the feathered “winged hussars” of the Polish-Lithuanian Union, who fought on Europe’s battlefields from around 1500 to 1770.
The winged hussars also played a decisive role in the battle for Vienna, in the victorious breaking of the second Turkish siege of Vienna in September 1683. From the perspective of the relief army, the winged hussars were active on the right wing.
