‘Game changer’: Lockheed unveils Poland’s first F-35 (2024)

FORT WORTH, Texas — After a year’s worth of headlines dominated by the program’s woes, Lockheed Martin today celebrated something of a new chapter for the F-35: the first of the stealth fighters for Poland, rolled out in a grand ceremony at the aerospace giant’s factory here as Polish military representatives, US officials and other dignitaries looked on.

“This aircraft is going to be a great contributor to Polish, and not only Polish, regional safety, [as well as] NATO credibility [and] deterrence,” Maj. Gen. Ireneusz Nowak, general inspector of the Polish Air Force, said during the ceremony. “So we are going to use it and we are going to achieve our goals.”

Addressing Polish pilots in attendance, Nowak wished them luck, as well as “an equal number of take offs and landings.” He then added that his hope is that the jet will not need to be used in combat, “so let’s just use it for deterrence.”

The F-35 unveiled today is the first of 32 for Poland, after Warsaw in 2020 inked a $4.6 billion deal with Washington for the fighters in the conventional take off and landing configuration. Included in that order are 33 F135 engines made by Pratt & Whitney, as well as training and logistics services. The jets will be delivered a handful at a time over several years from Lockheed’s crowded international production line, and the Polish Ministry of Defence has previously said they should all arrive by 2030.

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Warsaw’s F-35 deliveries staying largely on schedule is welcome news for Lockheed and Poland after a year of headaches in Fort Worth. The Pentagon only started accepting fighters equipped with the Technology Refresh 3 upgrade last month, a full year after implementing a delivery freeze due to software issues. TR-3 essentially provides the hardware and software necessary for a suite of new capabilities known as Block 4, and jets outfitted with the upgrade, like the one rolled out today, will be limited to training roles for at least another year as lingering software kinks are worked out.

And Warsaw will waste no time getting started on that training. Polish Air Force officials have already visited Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., to get a feel for F-35 maintenance operations, and Polish pilots within months will inaugurate a new international training hub at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas using their new jets. The first aircraft will then be delivered in-country in the 2026 timeframe, according to Lockheed aeronautics boss Greg Ulmer.

Poland’s forthcoming fleet of F-35s comes amid a defense spending spree by the country, spurred by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Since the war began, Poland has taken steps like agreeing to a massive order for Apache helicopters, securing billions of dollars in loans from Washington to finance the purchase of new weapons and is eyeing other modernization initiatives like additional fighter jet buys. A key NATO ally on the alliance’s eastern flank, Poland is wary of Russia’s next steps, and officials here today were quick to remind the audience about the stakes.

“Poland is the only country in the world that shares the common borders at the same time with Russia, with Ukraine and with Belarus. To keep the borders unchanged, we need the best equipment, the best capability and the best friends,” said Deputy Minister of National Defence Cezary Tomczyk. US Rep. Marc Veasey, a Texas Democrat who represents parts of Fort Worth, similarly noted that “we absolutely do not want [the war in Ukraine] to spread throughout the rest of Europe. That is why us celebrating this roll out here today is crucial.”

Speaking to Breaking Defense on the sidelines of the rollout, Nowak said he was confident that Warsaw’s forthcoming F-35s will make a big difference in the security environment.

“People in Poland felt threatened” in the wake of Russia’s invasion, which in turn encouraged military modernization, Nowak said. “I feel much more confident right now having this jet in the background with the Polish chessboard on it,” he said, gesturing to the F-35 on display behind him. “And I believe this is going to be game changer in the air domain.”

Poland will join a neighborhood of F-35 operators, as bordering countries Germany and the Czech Republic have already signed on to the program. Several other NATO allies are customers as well, bolstering what officials like US Air Force Gen. James Hecker call a military scheme that is “integrated by design.” According to Hecker, who heads NATO’s air defense, the continent should see over 600 F-35s operational by 2030 — with roughly 50 of those flown by the US.

“No one country can do this,” Hecker said of NATO’s defense, speaking over the roar of jet engines at the Royal International Air Tattoo in July. “It’s going to take all 32 [NATO members] to make it happen.”