First flight of the Polish F-35A at NAS JRB Fort Worth in Texas.
The Polish F-35A “Husarz” AZ-02 c/n 3502, successfully completed its first test flight from Lockheed Martin Facility at NAS Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth in Texas, on Dec. 2, 2024. The flight started after 13:30 local time and lasted a little over an hour. Providing chase for this milestone mission was another F-35A, AF-427 c/n 5727, sporting the marking of the 187th Fighter Wing, Alabama National Guard.
Our contributors Gherardo and Victoria Fontana were present and captured the photographs of the historic first flight featured in this story.
This first test flight comes just over three months after the rollout ceremony for the Polish Government. In fact, on Aug, 28, 2024, at 10.00LT, the first Polish Air Force “Husarz”, designated AZ-01, was officially unveiled during a roll-out ceremony attended by the Secretary of State at the Ministry of National Defense Paweł Bejda, Deputy Minister of National Defense Cezary Tomczyk, and representatives of the Polish Air Force command staff, at Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth facilities, Texas.
As observed during the roll out, the Polish Air Force F-35A doesn’t sport Poland’s traditional white-and-red checkerboard symbol, replaced by a low-visibility version of the emblem. This marks a significant change, as all Polish Air Force aircraft have historically worn the full-color white-and-red checkerboard, including Su-22s and MiG-29s, even after being repainted in new all-grey camouflage schemes.
After they are officially handed over to the Polish Air Force, the first aircraft will be initially based at Ebbing Air National Guard Base, Arkansas, where Polish pilot training will take place; the first F-35s are expected to arrive in Poland in 2026, with the remainder of the fleet to be delivered by 2030.
Polish F-35A programme
On September 11, 2019, the U.S. State Department approved the sale of 32 F-35 fifth-generation jets to Poland at a cost of USD 6.5 billion, according to a Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announcement. Poland opted for the F-35A CTOL (Conventional Take-Off and Landing) variant to replace its aging Soviet-era MiG-29 and Su-22 fleets.
In January 2020, a contract was signed for the procurement of 32 5th generation aircraft, with first delivery expected in 2024.
Along with the aircraft, Poland has also acquired various weapon systems for the F-35, including AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles and “several hundreds” AGM-158B JASSM-ER cruise missiles. Additionally, the U.S. Department of State and Congress have approved further procurements, such as AIM-9X-2 Sidewinder missiles and AARGM-ER anti-radiation missiles.
As revelead in a interview that the Polish Press Agency (PAP) conducted with the head of the MoD, Minister Mariusz Błaszczak, in 2021, the Polish F-35 fleet of 32 aircraft will be stationed at Łask AB in central Poland.
Following the acquisition of the F-35 by the Polish Armed Forces, the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces announced a competition for the name of the new fighter jets. Individuals submitted their proposed name for the F-35 fighter under a post on the official profile of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces on social media that remained online between April 12 and April 18, 2024.
At the end of the poll, Husarz (Polish for Winged Hussar) was selected as the official nickname for the Polish F-35. Noteworthy, Until now, in Polish service, the nicknames of individual aircraft were described by birds of prey (like “Sokol”, Polish for “Falcon”, or Jastrzębie, Polish for Hawk). The ‘Hussar’ was a member of a class of light cavalry that was first formed in the Kingdom of Poland at the beginning of the 16th Century.
