“They are the first on NATO’s eastern flank”: Poland begins to receive the 32 F-35 planes ordered from the United States

According to the Polish Minister of Defense, the arrival of the F-35s “changes the face of the armed forces” of the country and illustrates “the major strategic partnership” established with the United States.

Poland, neighboring Ukraine and Russia, is due to receive its first three F-35 stealth combat planes ordered from the United States this Friday, May 22, a first on NATO’s eastern flank, announced the Minister of Defense.

“The F-35s, with the weapons purchased in recent months, are changing the face of our armed forces. Not just our air forces,” Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz told the press.

“These are the first F-35s on the eastern flank of NATO (…) This shows to what extent, today, Poland is a major strategic partner, the best ally of the United States in Europe,” he added.

32 F-35 aircraft delivered by 2029

The arrival of these planes coincides with the surprise announcement by American President Donald Trump of the sending of some 5,000 additional soldiers to Poland. Washington had first announced that it would cancel the planned dispatch of 4,000 soldiers to Poland, before evoking a postponement to finally confirm their deployment, under conditions which, however, have yet to be specified, a decision welcomed with satisfaction by Warsaw.

The most populous country on the eastern flank of NATO, Poland is the country in the alliance which devotes, this year, the most spending to its defense, in relative terms, with more than 4.8% of its gross domestic product (GDP), and modernizes its army with billions of euros in purchases, mainly from United States and South Korea. Poland ordered a total of 32 F-35 aircraft produced by Lockheed Martin in 2020, for the sum of 4.6 billion dollars (4 billion euros), which must be delivered by 2029.

These ultra-modern 5th generation aircraft will be added to 47 American F-16 fighters and a handful of Mig-29s inherited from the Soviet era. The Polish Air Force also has several South Korean-produced FA-50 training and combat aircraft.