External Airfield Branch element [Terenowy Oddział Lotniskowy] announced that a procedure has been launched aimed at selecting an entity that would begin construction works at the 21st Tactical Air Base of the Polish Air Force So far the base has been a home for the Su-22 jets and W-3 Sokół helicopters to be tailored to host multi-role combat aircraft The above could mean that the Polish F-35A jets may be stationed there in the future The tendering procedure applies to the first phase of work on the base infrastructure the surface of the airfield runways and aprons is to be modernized The bid is to concern the establishment of a road that would connect the cargo apron with the taxiway with the lanes being 6 meters wide (plus two 1.5 meter wide roadsides) The exact work specification is confidential The bids can be submitted until 3rd August The price will be the sole factor taken into the account here (100% of the assessment) the entities approved to participate in the tendering process will need to comply with numerous safety requirements and they will also be required to showcase a project portfolio with the accomplishment of similar projects documented in the past The announcement does not mention the budget of the investment the fact that the tendering procedure is defined as the first stage of works aimed at making it possible for MRCA to be stationed in Świdwin along with another tender concerning investments expected to be made at the base (with a value of PLN 21.4 million have both pushed some opinionmakers to speculate that Świdwin would be a home for the Polish F-35 jets The theory above is supported by several facts Świdwin is a large military base that used to host two Su-22 squadrons a decade ago (32 MRCA) The 21st Tactical Air Base has the relevant infrastructure available That infrastructure needs to be reconstructed and modernized this would be far more affordable than in case of a restoration of some unused facility not to mention a process of establishing an entirely new airbase The city of Świdwin and the surrounding area got used to the presence of the airbase Some of the personnel employed at Świdwin currently could still work handling the F-35 in the manner identical to the current one with eighteen Su-22 aircraft stationed there among the three airbases hosting the post-Soviet combat aircraft in Poland The remaining two bases hosting the MiG-29s are located further to the East - in Malbork and Minsk Mazowiecki The former facility is close to the Russian border while the latter is located relatively close to the uncertain border with Belarus would be exposed to potential damage while the potential adversary could make use of the opportunity to examine the jet’s radar and IR signatures It is then unquestionable - the locations listed above cannot be used by the F-35 seems to be an unreasonable move to make as well provided that it is not attacked from the sea with the use of cruise missiles for instance The benefits are similar to the ones applicable in the case of the Poznan-Krzesiny airbase The current investment does not necessarily mean that an F-35 squadron would be stationed there not to mention stationing both squadrons in a single location The work may just as well be aimed at making the 21st Tactical Air Base compliant with the requirements related to the operational use of the F-16s - new ones (the Technical Modernization Plan for the years 2021-2035 envisages extra procurement of such jets and Świdwin has been considered as a potential base for them a decade above) to create some space for the new F-35s in Krzesiny or Łask This may also concern the effort to make the base capable of hosting the allied aircraft - either the F-16s of the USAF Europe 480th Squadron of Wild Weasels stationed in Spangdahlem now or the F-35s The base could also be tailored to host aircraft that would be stationed there on a rotational basis Sign up for the Breaking Defense newsletter The second location for Poland’s F-35s appears to have been decided WARSAW: During a Sept. 8 speech at the 29th MSPO defense show held at Kielce, Poland, a top Lockheed Martin executive appeared to unintentionally unveil a probable location for the second Polish Air Force F-35A squadron Officially, a second location for the F-35A unit has yet to be chosen by the government here. But while speaking at MSPO, JR McDonald, Lockheed’s vice president of business development for the integrated fighter group, identified the likely spot for the squadron as the 21st Tactical Air Base “Maj Stefan Stec” in Świdwin, in north-western Poland Świdwin is now home to an Polish Air Force squadron equipped with a dozen aging Russian-made Su-22M4 Fitters and six Su-22UM3K trainers These aircraft are used to train new pilots and provide recurrent training for both the traditional air force and for Polish Special Forces JTAC and Air defense unit training would provide easy access for F-35s to meet up with allied airpower if needed The Su-22s at the base are already used to support many NATO exercises in the region to improve allied air operations and interoperability in a realistic training environment are situated in the range of Russian 9K720 Iskander (SS-26 Stone) mobile short-range ballistic missile systems as well as S-400 Triumf (SA-21 Growler) air defense systems Warsaw’s plans to keep the Fitters in inventory until 2025 in order to maintain the skilled pilots and technicians It is not clear if the plan would be to move personnel from Świdwin to supporting the F-35 upon retirement or if they would be transferred to other bases The first squad of of Polish F-35As has already been announced as being based at 32nd Tactical Air Base in Łask  Currently that base is home to an F-16C/D Block 52 unit McDonald said manufacturing of Poland’s first F-35 will start next year and will be Block 4 with the Technical Refresh 3 upgrade including enhanced electronic warfare capabilities According to McDonald, the “majority, if not all 32 Polish F-35As will be updated to Block 4 and Poland will not pay any additional cost for that because Polish F-35s will be manufactured in Lot 16 and TR-3 is on track to be deployed into Lot 15 aircraft in 2023.” The first batch of eight Polish F-35s will be delivered in 2024-2025 in order to train 24 pilots and 90 maintainers some of whom will go on to be Poland’s home-based instructors Another batch of aircraft would be delivered to Poland in 2026-2027 with Initial Operational Capability for the squadron at Łask in 2026 and a fully stood up squadron there by 2030 European Command and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe has stated that “by approximately 2030,” NATO will have 450 F-35s Achieve regulatory compliance and mission success with advanced security measures The defense secretary said the US must “cultivate exceptional senior leaders who drive innovation and operational excellence unencumbered by unnecessary bureaucratic layers that hinder their growth and effectiveness.” A new Collins Aerospace system enhances U.S The open QGroundControl software for drone control was improved with a fusion engine to integrate sensors and controls Sign up and get Breaking Defense news in your inbox Distributed anti-submarine warfare leverages autonomy and advanced comms and networked sensors that already exist Błaszczak suggested that the plan in question has been in place for about a year now When asked about the expected arrival of the F-35s (in 2024) Błaszczak also answered the question concerning the infrastructure that could be used to properly host them The place for the base for these aircraft has been designated already The infrastructure there only needs to be complemented there is no need to build it from a scratch The above statement puts an end to the rumors surrounding the procurement of the F-35s in Poland when it comes to the place where the jets could potentially be stationed the purpose of which was to find a contractor who would be willing to modernize the infrastructure at the Polish Świdwin AB currently hosting the Polish Su-22 Fitter fleet procured within the framework of the Harpia program Poland may still be moving its air assets around the country though along with the simulators that are a part of the infrastructure Defence24 reported yesterday that the Polish Air Force is seeking options within the scope of carrying out an MLU program for the Polish F-16 fleet what the scope and timeline of the upgrade could be to carry out a mid-life upgrade of the fleet Fitting the Polish Vipers with an AESA radar and addition of relevant capabilities to their comms suite (so that they can covertly communicate with the F-35s) seem to be obvious here Notably, the Polish Air Force’s F-16s have received a minor upgrade already – in a form of M6.5 software update, carried out along with the procurement of the JASSM missiles The Aviationist is run by David Cenciotti ([email protected]) The Aviationist has become one of world’s most authoritative and read military aviation websites Home About Special Reports Contact Work With Us Advertise With Us Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions Military Aviation Aviation Safety Helicopter Drones Space Weapons Information Security Troubled Areas Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here In May 2001 former cold-warriors met at Swidwin air base in Poland got a chance to ride in a Polish air force Su-22UM3K Fitter then the Polish air arm’s main fighter-bomber Just a few years earlier as an F-111 pilot before the fall of the Berlin Wall Razer had planned in the event of war to bomb Swidwin in order to destroy the supersonic Su-22s before they could take off told The National Interest from his home in Arkansas He flew F-111s and F-15Es and held training and staff jobs in the United States Europe and South Korea before retiring in 2002 He recalled deploying to Poland in May 2001 under the auspices of NATO’s Partnership for Peace program Razer’s mission was to begin teaching Polish Fitter pilots how to fly and fight in the NATO style in larger formations and with greater flexibility the Polish Fitter fleet numbered around 110 the Su-22 pilots flew single-ship sorties or long-trailing two-ship sorties under strict oversight of controllers on the ground “Flying a tactical spread at low level was pretty new to them,” Razer said “They did a lot of depending on radar vectoring.” for the Poles “it was more of a controlled environment.” “Even though we’re always monitored we’re not controlled,” Razer explained “It’s a different perspective.” “the controllers had almost as much control as the pilots,” Razer continued closely monitoring a fighter pilot via radar and radio would even tell a pilot exactly when to pickle his weapons “We wanted to free them up,” Razer said Danish F-16 pilots joined the Poles and Americans at Swidwin and flew their nimble Swidwin climbed into the back seat of a Su-22UM3K for a mission “They don’t look very pretty but they’re pretty operational,” Razer said of the 20-ton “I felt like I was sitting in a bucket,” Razer recalled “The rails were pretty high compared to an F-16 or an F-18.” Soviet-made plane “felt muscular,” Razer said but at the same time it was sluggish on takeoff “The take-off roll didn’t seem super powerful especially since I’d been flying the big-motor f-15E.” The Fitter was “not rickety,” Razer said The avionics were pretty antiquated.” The Polish air force eventually added GPS and other improvements to the big Sukhoi “Just the addition of GPS would be significant,” Razer commented Razer recalled thinking that the Polish Su-22 pilots were pretty skilled given the limitations of Soviet-style doctrine and training Air Force didn’t consider the Fitter much of a threat “But they were a threat enough that we targeted the airfield.” “We were hoping to take out their airfield before they took off,” Razer said “It was instant comradery even though we both knew we were on opposite side a while back,” Razer mused “There were guys there that had been there when it was Warsaw Pact.” As of early 2019 the Polish air force still operated around 20 Su-22s in a single squadron at Swidwin Syria and Vietnam also still operated the type In June 2017, a U.S. Navy pilot flying an F/A-18E shot down a Syrian air force Su-22 that was threatening U.S.-allied troops in Syria Image: Creative Commons.  The French suffered 476 casualties in the Battle of Puebla while the outnumbered Mexicans only suffered 339 With the successful completion of the recent tests the Army is slated to deploy the first battery of LHRW by the end of FY2025 Ending critical mineral dependence will require more than the recently announced deal with Ukraine the United States and Ukraine finally signed a rare earth mineral… Stay in the know with The National Interest newsletter © Copyright 2025 Center for the National Interest We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below The cookies that are categorised as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site We also use third-party cookies that help us analyse how you use this website and provide the content and advertisements that are relevant to you These cookies will only be stored in your browser with your prior consent You can choose to enable or disable some or all of these cookies but disabling some of them may affect your browsing experience Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors Performance cookies are used to understand and analyse the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customised advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyse the effectiveness of the ad campaigns You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed According to what the head of the Polish MoD posted via his Twitter channel it is now clear where the newly acquired aircraft of the Polish Air Force will be stationed The information has been released on the Polish National Aviation Day The Minister stated that the newly procured FA-50 advanced fighter trainers will be stationed at Minsk Mazowiecki (ICAO code: EPMM) – currently serving as a base for the upgraded Polish MiG-29 Fulcrums Dealign with the F-35 jets Poland procured some time ago these will be stationed at two bases – Łask (EPLK currently hosting the Polish Su-22 Fitters) Minister Błaszczak also suggests that the first FA-50 jets are expected to be delivered as early as next year stated that the combat variant of the T-50 would replace the post-Soviet fleet of aircraft operated by Poland — Mariusz Błaszczak (@mblaszczak) August 26, 2022 contrary to numerous rumors suggesting that Poland got rid of its MiG-29 jets it seems that these aircraft are still alive and kicking 25) NATO Aircom published imagery of joint training with the Italian Typhoons The Polish Fulcrums are alive and kicking, contrary to the general rumors reproduced here and there, on them having been handed off to Ukraine. https://t.co/4eNmpFvFXJ — Jacek Siminski (@JacekSiminskiAV) August 26, 2022 The photograph released by NATO depicts one of the upgraded Polish MiG-29s in the characteristic light-gray color scheme the problems with spares stockpile and supply in the wake of sanctions imposed on the manufacturer country – Russia – make it impossible to predict how long this status quo can be maintained the Bulgarians have been officially reporting on issues in engine maintenance It could be extrapolated that these matters concern all of the NATO Fulcrum user group For the record: the Italian Typhoons deployed to the Polish Malbork AB (EPMB) in early August to safeguard the NATO airspace in the Baltic region it is yet another involvement of the Malbork AB in the enhanced NATO Air Policing scheme in the Baltics the base was hosting NATO assets in response to the Russian Invasion of Crimea Portuguesa and Turkish F-16s had used the EPMB facilities before The Aviationist is run by David Cenciotti ([email protected]) Last Saturday something unusual took place at the Polish Air Force’s 21st Airbase in Świdwin As a part of the display routine a Su-22 Fitter jet intentionally overshot the landing: the pilot deployed the drag chute prematurely causing the aircraft to hit the runway very hard It was also an unusual sight to see the jet with the chute trailing behind it This also gave the photographers and spectators at the base to witness this unique sight Drag (or drogue) chutes are a quite common design trait of the Soviet-made jets The system consists of a single or several parachutes placed in a special pod located in the rear section of the fuselage The chute is ejected with the use of a smaller parachute spring-driven or compressed air based system the chute is separated to prevent the aircraft from being dragged on the runway the chute often comes with a safety system with a ring that breaks if the braking system is deployed at a speed which is too high In the case above probably the speed was low enough to keep the said element intact and the chute stayed in its place the drag created by drogue chutes is lower than the one experienced in case of the conventional drop-parachutes in order to prevent damage to the aircraft The one in the video is one of the techniques used to land on a damaged runway: the chute is deployed about 7 feet above the runway and the aircraft only needs 350 meters to stop The Aviationist is run by David Cenciotti ([email protected]) Warsaw is backtracking on its decision to withdraw 32 Sukhoi Su-22 strike fighters from service by 2015 and replace them with armed unmanned aerial systems (UAS) or drones Defence Minister Tomasz Siemoniak confirmed recently that the 32 Sukhoi-22s stationed at Swidwin will remain in service for at least 3 years Swidwin currently operates single seater Su-22MK4 strike fighters and Su-22UMK3 two–seater variants (NATO reporting name “Fitter”) The aircraft will be maintained in service at least until 2017 If those fighters will be retained for 10 years the number of remaining jets is expected to shrink from the two operational squadrons into a single squadron To maintain the force structure the Polish Air Force could acquire more F-16C/Ds combining the procurement with mid-life upgrades of its current F-16s the reversal in the decision came with the realization that the capabilities delivered by current UAS cannot meet the entire spectrum of missions delivered by manned jet fighters Poland’s former deputy defense minister and undersecretary of state in the Ministry of Defence for Armaments and modernization the effect of  which he has witnessed from the support the Polish troops received in Afghanistan But the capabilities Warsaw was seeking were not even close to those the US possessed in Afghanistan Restricted by international limitations of arms transfer treaties and export permissions the US has agreed to sell Poland the Predator I but not the Predator B it was offering its more senior NATO allies – the UK Another option Warsaw was considering was the Turkish Anka from TAI a new platform yet to be proven which was significantly inferrior to other alternatives in terms of payload capacity and mission endurance as twoIsraeli platforms – the Hermes 900 from Elbit Systems and Heron I from IAI – were superior to the US and Turkish alternatives Elbit Systems’ Hermes 900 seemed to be superior to the Heron I the IAI was able to offer (at least in terms of the mission payload capability and flexibility – 300 kg vs 250 kg) the evolution of Hermes 900 from the Hermes 450 the Israel Defense Forces is already operating for similar applications has positioned the ‘900 as the most likely choice for the poles a view expressed by Skrzypczak in correspondence with Israel’s director of defense exports as it was written during the selection process amid allegations of favoring foreign arms suppliers Leaking Skrzypczak’s letter to the press could have happened either in Tel Aviv or Warsaw Skrzypczak has gathered enough enemies in the MOD to bring about such action over his harsh criticism over the Polish procurement processes in his past positions as commander of the army the feud between Elbit Systems and IAI has already caused many casualties Whoever caused the leak has not been determined but the doubt that it could have caused the resignation of a friendly and respected general of a foreign nation could not be tolerated Following Skrzypczak’s resignation Dan Harel the Director General of Israel’s Ministry of Defense (IMOD) tried to bring the two Israeli rivals to join fores by ‘nationalizing’ the program – by turning it into a Government-to-Government sale (as was previously done in the sale of Heron UAVs to Turkey where the two companies shared the sales package providing different elements of the whole system) the IMOD pulled the two Israeli companies out of the Polish competition These harsh measures are likely to be temporary given the leading position in the selection process and the fact that there was no allegation of wrong doing from either side The Polish decision to delay the retirement of the Su-22 for at least three years will give the Israelis time to cool down the Polish plans were to field the new armed drones’ capability by 2018 a schedule that could coincide with the three-year life extension given to the Fitters If the Poles decide to keep their Fitters extra 10 years that decision opens a new opportunity for the modernization of these ageing strike fighters which have never been upgraded since their fielding back in the 1980s This could bring an opportunity where the two Israeli rivals could find themselves competing again – as both Elbit Systems and IAI carried out upgrades of similar Russian-made aircraft in the past Lost your Password On Nov. 5, 2018, at 2:36PM, MiG-29UBM ’28’ of the Polish Air Force took off for a mission which marked the end the suspension of the Polish Fulcrum operations. The operations of the jets were suspended due to the crash on Jul. 6. 2018, that turned out to be fatal for the pilot Krzysztof Sobański (posthumously promoted to the rank of a Captain) belonging to the 22nd Tactical Air Base in Malbork Only one jet got back to flying after practical implementation of the recommendations made by the Polish military aircraft accident investigation authority the KBWLLP body (Komisja Badania Wypadków Lotniczych Lotnictwa Państwowego – Commission For Aircraft Accidents Investigation in State Aviation) The KBWLLP has not disclosed its findings to the public The timeline related to suspension involves two crashes Some rumors suggest that one of the main issues that led to the death of the pilot relates to the ejection seat while the aircraft also had problems with its fuel system was at the Minsk Mazowiecki Airbase on Nov providing us with imagery related to the MiG’s return to the sky Notably, the Polish Air Force is looking forward to replace the Fulcrums and the Fitters, with the latter type operated by the 21st Tactical Air Base in Świdwin, through the Harpia program The potential replacements include designs such as Gripen The Aviationist is run by David Cenciotti ([email protected]) Last year, the Polish Ministry of Defense decided to extend the operational life, that has lasted for 30 years, of 18 out of 32 Su-22 jets used by the Polish Air Force: 12 Su-22M4 single-seaters and 6 Su-22M3K two-seat trainers will remain in active service according to the report published by the Polska Zbrojna outlet All of the Polish Su-22’s are stationed in Świdwin The modernization plan assumes that the jets are going to be fitted with new avionics including the imperial gauges in the cockpit along with a new radio and flight recorder the change which is most visible is the new camouflaged color scheme: the Polish fighter-bombers received a new All of the modernization works are being carried out by the Bydgoszcz Military Aviation Works, the same facility which performs the maintenance of the Polish F-16 According to the statement made by Waldemar Topol works on a single jet will take nine months on average The works involve disassembly and general repairs of the critical components that have a significant impact on flight safety Structural properties of the airframes are also being closely examined the cockpit flight instrumentation is going to be rescaled into the imperial system Even though the Polish crews are used to quickly perform the units conversion the change of the instruments is going to improve standardization (as well as pilots comfort) especially in case of the operations conducted together with the NATO allies The color change will give the Polish Fitters a livery similar to that of the Polish F-16s A flight test program is going to be executed a modernized MiG-29 with a new paint scheme resembling the one utilized by the Polish F-16 was also presented Images emerged on some of the Polish aviation-related forums Prolonging the lifetime of the 18 airframes will make it possible to continue the training of the pilots who would be assigned to other squadrons and the Fitters would still be supporting the Polish Special Forces or the Navy When it comes to the Su-22 airframes that are not going to be refurbished The pilots flying the Fitters claim that despite their age Image Credit: Wojskowe Zakłady Lotnicze Nr 2 S.A The Aviationist is run by David Cenciotti ([email protected]) By 2025-02-03T16:37:00+00:00 Poland has begun training its air force pilots to operate Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighters The Polish ministry of defence confirmed to FlightGlobal on 3 February that aviators from the Polish air force have begun F-35 flight training at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas The programme of instruction began in the final week of January with the first F-35 sortie by a Polish officer taking place on 31 January Poland’s initial two F-35As left Lockheed’s Fort Worth The base will host partner training for certain F-35 Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers in the coming years A pair of Norwegian F-35As are currently operating from Poland’s Krzesiny air base The US Air Force (USAF) selected Ebbing to host F-35 FMS pilot training in 2023 with the base supplementing an existing F-35 FMS training detachment at Hill AFB in Utah Environmental regulations capped the number of F-35s approved to operate from Hill at 24 aircraft The addition of Ebbing will allow the FMS training programme to expand capacity by 50% with plans to station 12 F-35s at the site Lockheed Martin is actively assembling F-35As for Poland with the full fleet of 32 aircraft expected to be complete by 2030 The Polish fleet will be split between bases in the cities of Lask and Swidwin Lask currently hosts a squadron operating Lockheed F-16C/Ds while Swidwin is home to a unit flying Soviet-origin Sukhoi Su-22 ground-attack jets While the initial crop of Polish aviators are now flying F-35s in the USA other personnel are beginning to work with the jets at home A contingent of F-35As from Norway are temporarily stationed at the Krzesiny air base as part of NATO’s air-policing mission along the alliance’s eastern frontier “The key issue will be the integration of the F-35 and F-16,” Lieutenant Colonel Michal Zloch told Polish military magazine Polska Zbrojna in January. “The preparation of pilots of both types of machines so that they can cooperate with each other as effectively as possible and training with the Norwegians is helpful in this.” The two Royal Norwegian Air Force fighters arrived in Poland in December and were scrambled in January in response to what NATO Air Command described as a “massive number of Russian aircraft” approaching Polish airspace The Russian aircraft ultimately changed course before breaching NATO territory Lockheed Martin has handed over Taiwan’s first F-16 Block 70 fighter at a ceremony in Greenville The US Navy has bolstered its air-to-air refuelling capacity with an approval for updated Lockheed Martin KC-130T tactical transports to refuel a wider range of aircraft The US government has cleared a large possible sale of precision-guided weapons to Israel The US Air Force is looking for new options for air-to-air missiles The California company Stratolaunch is pioneering the development of a reusable flight vehicle capable of reaching speeds beyond Mach 5 Ten of the Boeing refuellers have been listed for sale on a US government auction website FlightGlobal is the global aviation community’s primary source of news analytics and advisory services to connect the aviation community globally and help organisations shape their business strategies identify new opportunities and make better decisions faster Site powered by Webvision Cloud member-first insights and commentary on the global aviation industry Summary: Poland has named its new F-35A Lightning II aircraft “Husarz,” honoring the historic Winged Hussars a famed cavalry unit from the 16th and 17th centuries reflects a deep connection to Poland’s military heritage -The F-35 Husarz joins other domestically named foreign-made aircraft in the Polish Air Force Poland plans to integrate 32 of these stealth fighters -The first Polish F-35s will be used for pilot training in Arkansas before being stationed at tactical air bases in Lask and Swidwin the F-35s will feature subdued markings to maintain their stealth capabilities NATO ally Poland announced that the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II aircraft in service in its military will receive a very special moniker one tied to its rich military history: Husarz which translates in English to “Hussar,” was given to the fifth-generation stealth fighters in Polish Air Force service following a public competition It is arguably unimaginable that any other name would have been chosen – and other contenders reportedly included Halny Husarz pays homage to the infamous Winged Hussars that were considered to be among the finest cavalry units of the 16th and 17th centuries during the era of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth The elite unit was originally formed in 1503 and many of its members came from the Polish nobility It took part in numerous engagements and helped Poland and her allies win more than 16 major battles during the commonwealth’s “Golden Age,” which saw conflicts with Ottoman and Russian forces The Winged Hussars – called so because they donned uniforms that included a pair of wings that arched from the end of the saddles to over their heads and fluttered in the wing – incorporated military influences from Russia the Byzantine Empire and the Mongol cavalry initially Their most famous engagement was at the Siege of Vienna when they helped defeat the Ottoman forces and broke the siege of the Austrian city “In the 18th century, the Winged Hussars were relegated to ceremonial roles before being disbanded. However, they have remained an important part of Poland’s military heritage ever since,” noted TheWarZone. Poland has long had a tradition of giving domestic names to its warplanes, even those manufactured abroad. As AeroFlap reported the F-16 Fighting Falcon is in service with the Polish Air Force as the Jastrz b (Falcon) This also won’t be the first time that the F-35 has been domestically “rebranded.” The Israel Air Force’s (IAF’s) modified Lightning IIs are in service as the F-35I Adir (The Mighty), while the UK’s Royal Air Force (RAF) designated their F-35s the Lightning The wings of Poland’s F-35 Husarz aren’t fluttering in the wind just yet but could soon be. On April 29, Lockheed Martin released images of the first Polish F-35A in assembly at its Fort Worth, Texas, facility. Designated AZ-01 the aircraft recently achieved the weight on wheels milestone: a significant moment as it moves down the production line “The Polish Air Force’s first F-35 was lifted by an overhead crane earlier this month from an electronic mate and alignment station where its forward and rear fuselage sections were joined to the wing center fuselage assembly,” Lockheed Martin announced “The aircraft will now travel to final assembly along with final systems and engine installation.” The first of Poland’s aircraft will also be initially stationed at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas for pilot training Poland will establish a unit to operate the F-35 at the 32nd Tactical Air Base in Lask The base is home to a squadron operating the F-16C/D A second squadron will be established at the 21st Tactical Air Base in Swidwin The base is currently home to a squadron flying the Soviet-era Sukhoi Su-22 ground-attack aircraft Though named in honor of the Winged Hussars Poland’s F-35s won’t have any of the famed unit’s pageantry While it would be stunning to see the Husarz painted to resemble the cavalry troopers that would obviously impact the stealth capabilities of the fifth-generation multirole fighter Even the national aircraft markings will be subdued the Polish Army’s chief of the general staff confirmed that the F-35 Husarz will be operated with low-visibility markings “There will be no traditional white and red checkerboards on Polish F-35s we will use greyscale checkboards,” he explained making it the first Polish Air Force aircraft not to use its distinctive “This is a conscious decision – we were even informed how much it would affect the probability of detection,” he says “The most important thing is ‘warfighting’ and the safety of our pilots.” The spirit of the Winged Hussar will live on By 2024-03-28T16:23:00 Poland has completed its latest ‘Route 604’ road landing exercise although challenging weather conditions restricted the scope of the activity You have reached your limit of free articles for this period Register for a FREE account to read this article and benefit from: Join now Ukrainian Political Party 'Union of Leftists' “All of the NATO countries are doubling their budgets starting this year.” the Russian political talk show 60 Minutes aired a segment on Spring Storm a large-scale live military exercise by the Estonian Defense Forces with participation from NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence and other allied forces That exercise runs from April 29 to May 10 said that there are “9,000 NATO soldiers only a two-hour’s ride away from Saint Petersburg,” while her co-host sarcastically asked: “Where else would NATO conduct its drills?” a former Ukrainian parliamentarian and leader of the Union of Left Forces party later weighed in by drawing attention to the Baltic countries He described those states as a “confrontation belt” which the U.S seeks to use to draw Russia into a conflict by arming them and carrying out “acts of aggression.” also pointed to Spring Storm as an act of aggression Speaking of the force multiplying effect that modern U.S military hardware can have on relatively smaller armies he said that the exercise in Estonia is not just empty talk as NATO needs to justify the doubling of its budget “All of the NATO countries are doubling their budgets starting this year,” Volha said “If Germany paid €74 billion ($82.85 billion) it’ll pay €140 billion – that’s twice as large as Russia’s military budget.” Volha’s claim NATO is doubling its defense budget is false During the 2014 NATO summit in Wales, member states did pledge they would each spend 2% of GDP on defense within a decade (2024) In July 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump called on NATO members to commit 4% of their gross domestic products to defense spending although NATO's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the focus should be on members achieving the long-standing target of 2% NATO members have not agreed to spend 4% of GDP on defense spending A recent NATO defense expenditure report showed that only seven of NATO’s 29 members (excluding Iceland which has no standing army) had reached the 2% target last year Two of those countries – Latvia and Lithuania – managed to double their defense spending from 2014-2018 The top five spenders by percentage of GDP (the U.S. Belgium and Luxembourg – spent less than 1% of GDP on defense and therefore would more than double their spending if they reach the 2024 target by next year None of those states has announced plans to do so For example, while Spain (which spent .93% of GDP on defense in 2018) previously committed to ramping up its military spending by 80% over the next seven years, the newspaper El Pais reported in late 2017 “the best possible scenario” would see the country reach the 2% goal by 2028 which spent 3.39% of GDP on defense in 2018 (based on 2010 prices and exchange rates) That would represent a 4.7% defense spending hike The fiscal year military budget was approved at $716 billion for the current fiscal year Rather than hitting the 2% spending target by 2024 Germany is aiming to spend 1.5% of GDP on defense during that benchmark year According to Newsweek magazine nearly every NATO member has increased its defense spending since Trump came to office in 2017 with 16 on track to reach the 2024 spending goal To be sure, military spending is up globally. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), in its annual report said overall spending had risen to $1.82 trillion in 2018 the Baltic states and the Netherlands jumped approximately 20% from 2017 to 2018 although Canada’s defense spending dropped 11% during the period NATO states (excluding the United States) are expected to increase defense spending collectively by $100 billion between 2016 and 2020. Still, while NATO states have largely continued to increase defense spending in recent years, claims that they are committed to doubling defense spending starting this year are false. Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker According to the Polish Minister of National Defense Tomasz Siemioniak who talk to media during his visit to Świdwin airbase the iconic Cold War fighter bombers will be upgraded The Polish Air Force currently operates an aging fleet of 26 Su-22M4’s and 6 Su-22UM3K. The decision on the extent of the upgrade is to be made mid-March, this year. Earlier the Fitters were planned to be withdrawn by 2015 and replaced by UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) The first assumes that all the planes are to be modernized and fly for another 3 years The second option is to modernize just one squadron (16 planes) but to extend the Fitter’s life up to 10 additional years The modernization is not to be expensive, and is to be carried out by the Military Aviation Works no. 2 in Bydgoszcz, the same plant that takes care of the Polish F-16 Block 52+ fighters When it comes to the reasons why the Su-22 fighter-bombers are to be modernized it is all caused by postponing the decision about buying a new multirole jet that cannot be thrown away when the Fitters are withdrawn from service The 21st Tactical Air Base is also to be modernized in order to accomodate modern multirole fighters by 2022 Jacek Siminski for TheAviationist The Aviationist is run by David Cenciotti ([email protected]) By 2024-04-30T09:36:00 Poland’s lead Lockheed Martin F-35A has entered the latter stages of final assembly in the USA as the type has gained the name ‘Husarz’ (Hussar) for service with the European nation Breaking news, expert analysis, member-first insights and commentary on the global aviation industry. Icyiciro cya mbere cy’ingabo za Amerika cyageze muri Polonye mu myitozo mu mwuka w’ubushyamirane hagati y’u Burusiya na Ukraine. Abasirikare ba mbere 150 bazakurikirwa n’abandi 450 mu minsi micye. Hagati aho, U Bwongereza, U Buholandi na Danemarike byateguye kajugujugu z’intambara nyuma yo kubona indege za gisirikare z’u Burusiya zegera mu kirere cyabyo. Perezida Barack Obama wa Amerika ashinja U Burusiya kutubahiriza amasezerano y’ibiganiro na Ukraine mu cyumweru gishize. Moscow ivuga ko izasubiza igitero cyose cyakwibasira inyungu zayo. Seigei Lavrov, Ministri w’ Ububanyi n’amahanga w’u Burusiya arega Amerika kuba ariyo itegeka muri Ukraine. Jen Psaki, Umuvugizi muri ministeri y’Ububanyi n’amahanga ya Amerika yamaganye amagambo ya bwana Lavrov, avuga ko adafite agaciro. Yagize ati: “Intego yacu ni uguhosha amakimbirane. Ntidutekereza ko hari igisubizo cy’inzira ya gisirikare.’’ The DEFEA defence trade fair will take place in Athens from 6 to 8 May2025 Rheinmetall will be there as a strong partner for… a world leader in the design and manufacture of innovative head systems it has been observed that wheeled chassis purchased and operated by the armed forces require additional equipment to enable… Donald Trump makes it clear that Europe must defend itself and take care of its own security The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) has published a report titled Trends in World Military Expenditure During a visit by Dmitry Medvedev Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation to the Kapustin Yar missile test range,… Rohde & Schwarz advances their military spectrum monitoring portfolio by launching easily deployable monitoring systems designed to help armed forces optimize their spectrum management,… RAMON IQzoom from Rohde & Schwarz is redefining the boundaries of signal analysis by empowering armed forces to delve deeper into the… Canadian-based Galvion company has announced that their European Production Hub in Poland is now fully operational A photograph has appeared on social media showing soldiers of the Ukrainian National Guard equipped with new 9mm Fort-230A submachine guns,… Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas paid a visit to Stockholm where he held talks with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on defense… As reported by the Australian public broadcaster ABC the delivery of 49 M1A1SA Abrams tanks promised last year to the Armed Forces… The Polish company Creotech Instruments has signed a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) to build a national constellation of at least… have signed a strategic agreement outlining the framework for joint efforts… Direct Action offers a variety of chest rigs The Curtiss model is designed to carry three HK… The Belgian company FN (part of the FN Browning Group) has presented a new company logo and brand tagline Streamlight introduces the TLR-8 HL-X flashlight with an integrated laser sight producing a beam with up to 1,000 lumens of power not only popular hydration systems were showcased but also personal ballistic protection—including armor specifically designed… Enforce Tac is an international trade fair aimed at law enforcement officers At the 3rd International Police and Public Security Fair POLSECURE 2024 in Kielce Holsters HPE Poland presented its offer for… a member of the Polish Armaments Group has introduced the semi-automatic designated marksman rifle MSBS Grot .308 S20… To assist with shooting training and beyond various belts and gear configurations have been developed and customized to suit individual needs where every second can determine the outcome of an operation The Polish Police have released statistical data on firearm permits issued in 2024 An increasing number of Poles now hold… The National Police Headquarters has released statistics regarding the number of firearm permits and firearms themselves in the hands of… ATN is a leading manufacturer of daytime optics The innovative features and ergonomic designs… Grand Power is a Slovak manufacturer of the acknowledged good quality firearms Take part in our guided tour with English subtitles The Vanguard is a uniform set from the Polish brand Direct Action designed in collaboration with special forces soldiers The holographic sight is a device known for nearly 30 years and used by professionals around the world In recent weeks the head of the Polish Ministry of Defence has announced the location of the future Polish F-35A Lightning II multirole fighter aircraft The first squadron of F-35s will be stationed at the 32nd Tactical Air Base The base currently hosts a single squadron of Polish F-16C/D Block 50/52+ multirole fighter aircraft (while other two squadrons are based at the 31st Tactical Air Base At the moment the Polish MoD does not foresee removing the single F-16 squadron from the Łask AFB The base is considered as one of the most modern installations of this type in Poland In recent years the base undergone modernization The modernization project was intended to prepare the base to host Polish and allied F-35 fighter aircraft ‘The Łask Air Force Base is the most modern air base in Poland as well as one of the most modern in Europe Two years ago modernisation works in this base were completed Some of them prepared Łask for F-35 operations – longer runway in order to better prepare the location to host the future Polish F-35s further improvement of base infrastructure is required This related especially to new hangars because eventually the number of aircraft stationed at Łask will increase twice Also IT infrastructure in the base should be upgraded F-35 needs much more effective data transfer systems but also in service aspects.’ stated Grzegorz Sobczak Editor-in-Chief of the MILMAG Defense&Space Magazine After concluding the initial phase of the modernization project the location has been initially prepared to host the most modern multirole fighter aircraft Although the Polish MoD currently states that the Łask base will host two aircraft platforms in reality the capacity of the base is relatively small there’s not enough space for permanent stationing of both aircraft types the Łask AFB will most likely eventually become the base of the sole F-35 platform and the single F-16 will have to be removed to another location There are a few other bases where one of Polish F-35s or F-16s squadrons could be based The 33rd Transport Aviation Base in Powidz which until lately was considered as the biggest Polish air base currently is used by the Air Force in limited scope the base was initially planned to support air transport and logistic operations during the recent ‘Rapid Forge’ multinational exercise in 2019 the Powidz AFB hosted for a short period of time the US F-35 aircraft it ability to become the permanent base of this type of aircraft was already confirmed Also the 21st Tactical Air Base in Świdwin the base is home to remaining Polish Su-22 fighter/bomber aircraft the Polish MoD has already announced its plans to rebuild and modernize the Świdwin base possibly also preparing it for hosting F-35s The construction schedule more-less covers the F-35 delivery timeline to Poland a good location for the F-35s due to operational and logistical aspects The 12th Air Base in Mirosławiec could also be an alternative to hosting the F-35 aircraft Mirosławiec is the former base of the Su-22 aircraft close proximity to Drawsko and Nadarzyce military ranges makes it a good location for temporary provisional dislocation of F-35 aircraft for short-time operations Due to close distance to the border with Russia the 22nd Tactical Air Base in Malbork and 23rd Tactical Air Base in Mińsk Mazowiecki which currently host the MiG-29 aircraft do not seem as possible locations for permanent stationing of F-35s The contract (Letter of Offer and Acceptance LOA) for delivery of 32 F-35A Lightning II multirole fighter aircraft for the Polish Air Force was signed at the end of January 2020 during a ceremony held at the premises of the 4th Training Aviation Wing in Deblin ‘The Polish Air Force enters a new phase of its development We join the elite group of nations operating the F-35 aircraft which is a peculiar command centre and distinguishes itself with its interoperability’ commented minister Blaszczak during the signing ceremony The contract has a value of $4,6 billion (€4,1 billion) It includes also logistical and training packages ‘This is an incredibly important day for the Polish Air Force but also for the safety of our part of Europe’ As per to the logistical package included in the F-35 contract it refers to the supply of spare and operational parts operation management system and equipment for the maintenance personnel under the Global Support Solution (GSS) programme through to 2030 complex training of pilots and maintenance personnel through a ground-based system The project includes an integrated training centre and eight flight simulators deliveries of F-35A fighter aircraft should commence in 2024 and run through to 2030 The contract states that each year Poland will receive a batch of 4-6 aircraft In 2024-2025 the first six Polish F-35s will be temporarily stationed on US soil They will be used for initial training of future Polish pilots and maintenance personnel in one of US Air Force air bases these aircraft should be transferred to Poland by 2025-2026 that the future F-35A fighter aircraft will reach their Initial Operational Capability (IOC) only after a number of requirements are met These include: acceptance of the delivery of at least 8 fighters training of a sufficient number of pilots and maintenance personnel as well as delivery of necessary spare and operational equipment The future Polish F-35A fighter aircraft were selected and procured under the ‘Harpia’ programme which was announced and launched by the MoD in late 2018 the department informed that the country seeks to acquire a number of modern which will significantly enhance the operational and combat capabilities of the Polish Air Force At that time it was expected that the selection of the future combat platform will be conducted through an open with a number of foreign manufacturers placing their bids and presenting offers A competitive selection process would allow the MoD the choose the best available fighter aircraft and negotiate a procurement agreement which would secure country’s economic and industrial interests eventually the Polish MoD announced in the Spring of 2019 its decision to select the US-manufactured F-35 fighter aircraft as the preferred platform for the ‘Harpia’ programme Shortly after the governments of Poland and USA began discussions and negotiations through which both sides worked out the final agreement on the sale of the aircraft The procurement of F-35 multirole fighters will enable the process of modernization of the Polish combat aircraft fleet and gradual phase out of the currently operated Soviet-era MiG-29 fighters and Su-22 bombers/fighters Further use of these aircraft proves to be pointless due to which they no longer meet the requirements of the modern battlefield the age and technical condition of most of the MiG-29s and Su-22s is so bad that they present a serious threat to the pilots the future F-35s will actually fill the gap in the Polish Air Force’s combat aircraft fleet since both ex-Soviet platforms have not been used operationally for a few years now and it seems very unlikely that they will return to active service any time soon the F-35s will support the fleet of 48 moderately modern F-16C/D Block 52+ multirole fighter aircraft which were procured by Poland in early 2000’s.