{"id":424,"date":"2024-08-30T01:42:21","date_gmt":"2024-08-30T01:42:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/detoxherb.xyz\/?p=424"},"modified":"2024-08-30T01:42:21","modified_gmt":"2024-08-30T01:42:21","slug":"polands-first-f-35a-hussar-stealth-fighter-rolled-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/detoxherb.xyz\/?p=424","title":{"rendered":"Poland\u2019s First F-35A \u201cHussar\u201d Stealth Fighter Rolled Out"},"content":{"rendered":"

Poland\u2019s first F-35A stealth fighter \u2014 locally named\u00a0Husarz, or Hussar \u2014 was officially rolled out today in a ceremony at Lockheed Martin\u2019s Fort Worth, Texas plant. Playing on the warrior heritage of its Polish name, Lockheed Martin also put together a number of composite images that depict the Polish jet alongside one of its forebears \u2014 \u00a0the historical\u00a0Winged Hussars cavalry\u00a0that was once considered the most elite branch of the country\u2019s armed forces.\u00a0The first aircraft, AZ-01, is planned to be delivered to the Polish Air Force in December.<\/p>\n

With the need to replace Soviet-era\u00a0MiG-29 Fulcrum\u00a0and\u00a0Su-22 Fitter\u00a0combat aircraft becoming more urgent, Poland accelerated its program to acquire a new fighter \u2014 known as Harpia, or Harpy Eagle \u2014 in late 2018.<\/p>\n

By spring the following year, it was confirmed that Poland was in talks with the United States with a view to buying conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) F-35A variants.<\/p>\n

\"\"
According to Lockheed Martin, the \u201cwings\u201d of the historic hussar warrior\u2019s armor were traditionally assembled from raptor feathers and served to demoralize enemies in battle.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n

Lockheed Martin<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"\"
Lockheed Martin<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On January 31, 2020, a contract to purchase 32 F-35As in Block 4 configuration \u2014 worth $4.6 billion \u2014 was signed. At the time, plans called for these to be delivered between 2024 and 2030, at a rate of four to six aircraft per year, although this may well be affected by the pause in deliveries for around a year,\u00a0while a workaround was developed\u00a0for the F-35\u2019s vital Tech Refresh 3 software, or TR-3.<\/p>\n

Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has reinforced the urgency of introducing the F-35 and bringing it up to initial operational capability. The changing security situation means that Poland\u2019s F-35s could possibly be armed with\u00a0B61-12\u00a0thermonuclear bombs in the future, as Warsaw increasingly looks to field a nuclear deterrent capability, as you can read about\u00a0here.<\/p>\n

Construction of Poland\u2019s first F-35, AZ-01,\u00a0began with the fabrication\u00a0of a portion of the wing assembly at Lockheed Martin\u2019s F-35 center wing assembly line in Marietta, Georgia, in spring 2023. In April of the same month, the company released a video confirming that the jet was standing with weight on its wheels for the first time at the final assembly plant in Fort Worth.<\/p>\n

The first six Polish F-35s are set to remain at Ebbing Air National Guard Base,\u00a0Arkansas, at least to begin with, to kickstart the training of pilots and maintainers.<\/p>\n

A first group of 14 Polish F-16C\/D pilots have already begun training on the F-35A in the United States, while others \u2014 including MiG-29 pilots \u2014 have spent time there on F-35 full-mission simulators. This first cadre will become instructors to train the next generation of Polish F-35 pilots.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Polish Air Force Lt. Col. Pawal Muzyczuk, logistics officer, and Lt. Col. Rafal Zawadka, specialist officer, observe U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jeremy Buben, 62nd Aircraft Maintenance Unit F-35A crew chief, conduct a maintenance check on an F-35, on December 9, 2022, at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona.\u00a0U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Dominic Tyler<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While F-16 pilots have initially been prioritized for F-35 conversions, it\u2019s possible that Polish MiG-29 and perhaps even Su-22 pilots will also be trained on the stealth fighter. While the process of conversion will be harder, this would have the advantage of ensuring that the F-16 force doesn\u2019t lose as many experienced aviators.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, Poland plans to conduct F-35 training on its home soil, but this will take some time, with 24 pilots and 90 technicians planned to be trained in the United States. In the meantime, an initial batch of aircraft will be delivered to Poland to form the first operational squadron, to be based at \u0141ask, around 2025-26. This unit is planned to achieve full operational capability in around 2030.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Gen. Jeff Harrigian, U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa commander, presents Inspector of the Polish Air Force, Maj. Gen. Jacek Pszczola, an official invitation to the European F-35 User\u2019s Group, in D\u0119blin, Poland, January 31, 2020. The user\u2019s group allows members to share information, lessons learned, and best practices as F-35s are acquired and fielded.\u00a0U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Madeline Krpan<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The second operating location for the F-35 will likely be Swidwin, currently home to Poland\u2019s last squadron of Su-22s.<\/p>\n

According to Lockheed, Poland\u2019s fleet of F-35 fighters will be equipped with TR-3 and, at least eventually, Block 4 capabilities. TR-3 constitutes the F-35\u2019s \u2018computer backbone\u2019; a set of hardware and software changes that effectively underpin the F-35\u2019s future capabilities,\u00a0known collectively as Block 4. The development and testing of TR-3 has proved to be far from straightforward, as you can read about\u00a0here.<\/p>\n

Aside from the forthcoming F-35, the Polish Air Force operates an unusually diverse combat aircraft fleet, at least for a modern NATO air arm. Its equipment comprises a mix of U.S.-supplied fighters, and Soviet-era equipment, now modernized, while South Korea-made\u00a0FA-50\u00a0light combat aircraft are the latest addition to the inventory.<\/p>\n

Pending the arrival of the F-35, Poland\u2019s most important combat aircraft is the Lockheed Martin\u00a0F-16C\/D Block 52+, known locally as the Jastrzab, or Hawk, of which 48 examples (36 single-seat F-16Cs and 12 two-seat F-16Ds) were acquired. These serve with three squadrons, two of them based in Poznan-Krzesiny and one at \u0141ask.<\/p>\n

\"POLAND<\/figure>\n

Poland has already begun looking at a possible upgrade for its F-16s, to keep them highly viable until the F-35s become fully operationally capable and to fight alongside those jets after.<\/p>\n

Any future modernization of the Polish F-16s is likely to be broadly along the lines of the F-16V upgrade, including the AN\/APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR), as well as new electronic warfare systems and onboard computers.<\/p>\n

Prior to the war in Ukraine, the Polish Air Force operated a fleet of 28 MiG-29 Fulcrum fighters, which were operated by two squadrons at Minsk Mazowiecki and at Malbork.<\/p>\n

Poland\u2019s first MiG-29s entered service in 1989-90 and were provided directly from the Soviet Union, while the force was boosted after the Cold War by transfers of secondhand aircraft from the Czech Republic and Germany, as you can read about\u00a0here.<\/p>\n

\"LASK,<\/figure>\n

While the fleet has suffered from high-profile attrition in recent years, modernization means that the MiG-29s have had their service life prolonged until 2028.<\/p>\n

However, in response to Kyiv\u2019s urgent request for additional fighters, Poland transferred 14 MiG-29s \u2014 all of them former German Fulcrums \u2014 to Ukraine in the first half of 2023. This halving of the Polish MiG-29 fleet leaves 14 examples operational at Malbork, where they are expected to remain in service until 2027.<\/p>\n

Poland\u2019s veteran Su-22 Fitter swing-wing ground-attack\/strike aircraft entered service in 1984 and are now scheduled for withdrawal next year. These aircraft \u2014 single-seat Su-22M4 Fitter-K and two-seat Su-22UM3K Fitter-G models \u2014 have also been modernized and in recent years have primarily been used for training.<\/p>\n

\"A
A Polish Air Force Su-22 flies overhead troops from Poland, the United States, France, and Sweden during Defender Europe 22 military exercise, in Nowogrod, Poland on May 19, 2022.\u00a0Photo by WOJTEK RADWANSKI\/AFP via Getty Images<\/em>\u00a0WOJTEK RADWANSKI<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The latest addition to the Polish Air Force\u2019s combat fleet is the FA-50, from Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). An agreement to buy 48 examples of the light combat aircraft was signed in July 2023, as part of\u00a0a much larger arms transfer\u00a0from South Korea to Poland. The jets are being rapidly delivered to offset the transfer of MiG-29s to Ukraine and the pending retirement of the Su-22.<\/p>\n

The first 12 Polish FA-50PL aircraft, in Block 10 standard, were delivered to Poland in mid-2023. The next batch of 36 aircraft will be in the more advanced Block 20 configuration, including active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar,\u00a0Sniper targeting pod, Link 16 datalink, and AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles. Deliveries of the Block 20 aircraft are due to begin next year.<\/p>\n

\"Mariusz
Mariusz Blaszczak, Poland\u2019s Minister of National Defense during the presentation of the first FA-50 for the Polish Air Force, in Minsk Mazowiecki, Poland, on August 21, 2023.\u00a0Photo by Foto Olimpik\/NurPhoto via Getty Images<\/em>\u00a0NurPhoto<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

All in all, Poland\u2019s increasingly powerful air force reflects the country\u2019s defense-spending spree, as fears of Russian aggression grow in the wake of the all-out invasion of Ukraine. With Poland spending 4.23 percent of its GDP on its armed forces, more than double the NATO target of two percent, the forthcoming F-35 fleet will be one of the most potent \u2014 and capable \u2014 symbols of the country\u2019s rapid military modernization.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Poland\u2019s first F-35A stealth fighter \u2014 locally named\u00a0Husarz, or Hussar \u2014 was officially rolled out today in a ceremony at Lockheed Martin\u2019s Fort Worth, Texas plant. Playing on the warrior heritage of its Polish name, Lockheed Martin also put together a number of composite images that depict the Polish jet alongside one of its forebears …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":425,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-military"],"yoast_head":"\nPoland\u2019s First F-35A \u201cHussar\u201d Stealth Fighter Rolled Out - detoxherb.xyz<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/detoxherb.xyz\/?p=424\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Poland\u2019s First F-35A \u201cHussar\u201d Stealth Fighter Rolled Out - detoxherb.xyz\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Poland\u2019s first F-35A stealth fighter \u2014 locally named\u00a0Husarz, or Hussar \u2014 was officially rolled out today in a ceremony at Lockheed Martin\u2019s Fort Worth, Texas plant. 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