Poland to purchase additional F-35 fighters

„We have made the decision, and this matter is already recorded in strategic documents, that Poland will opt for two additional squadrons of F-35 fighters. This is the plan through 2039,” said the Deputy Head of the Ministry of National Defence (MON), Cezary Tomczyk. The politician reminded that by the end of this year, a total of 14 such aircraft will have arrived in Poland.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz had already spoken on Friday about including another two F-35 squadrons in the Armed Forces Development Program during the official acceptance ceremony of the first F-35s. This means that while the contract signed in 2020 for 32 aircraft is currently being implemented, there are plans to purchase another 32 by 2039. In total, Poland is therefore to have 64 fighter jets at its disposal. Deputy Minister Cezary Tomczyk has now confirmed this declaration on Radio Zet.

At this moment, Poland has four pilots ready to fly F-35 aircraft. More than a dozen others are currently training in the United States. Ultimately, the Polish Air Force is to have 64 pilots ready to fly these machines. The cost of training a single pilot amounts to $12 million, and the cost of the helmet used by F-35 pilots is half a million dollars.