The delivery of the first F-35A fifth-generation fighter jets from the United States to Poland has been postponed. F-35As from the groups of aircraft that were originally scheduled for delivery to the Polish Air Force in 2026 and 2027 will arrive later than anticipated. According to a Polish publication, the delivery of the components for the Polish F-35s has been delayed compared to the original plans. The delivery of six fighter jets originally scheduled for 2026 has been postponed to November and December of the same year.

Meanwhile, the transfer of four more aircraft that was set for the first half of 2027 has been rescheduled for the end of that year. The Polish online media points out that delivery dates could still change and will be finalized once the Pentagon places an order for the production of the fighter jet batches from which they will be delivered in Poland.

The purchase of the aircraft for the Polish Air Force was made through the FMS (Foreign Military Sales Program) procedure as part of a broader plan to manufacture F-35s for the US military and foreign customers. The initial deliveries of the fighter jets are scheduled to start in 2024, with some aircraft remaining in the US for training Polish pilots.

Construction of the first aircraft began in April 2023, and the first F-35A fighter jets are expected to arrive at the Polish airbase in Lask in 2026.

During a visit to Lockheed Martin in the US, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki expressed his intention to accelerate the delivery of the fifth-generation fighter jets to Poland. The contract to acquire 32 F-35 Lightning II aircraft was signed by Poland on January 31, 2020, at a cost of $4.6 billion. The US is also responsible for training 24 pilots and 90 ground personnel. In 2021, Poland began training future pilots of the F-35A Lightning II multirole fighter jet, which is considered to be a significant step forward for the country.