First two Polish F-35s arrive at Ebbing Air Base
The first two Polish Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II aircraft have arrived at Fort Smith’s Ebbing Air National Guard Base (ANGB), where they will be used by the Air Force’s 85th Fighter Group to conduct pilot training for the Foreign Military Sales programme from January 2025.
Arkansas adjutant general Brigadier General Chad Bridges described their arrival as “a significant milestone for our state, the nation and our allies who will train on this fifth-generation fighter,” adding: “I’m extremely proud of the whole team in the 188th Wing and the staff at Razorback Range and Fort Chaffee Joint Maneuver Training Centre for the planning and work that has resulted in the sound of freedom returning to the River Valley today”.
Poland’s F-35 procurement process began in 2019, with the US State Department approving the $6.5 billion sale of 32 F-35As to replace its ageing MiG-29 and Su-22 fleets. Following the delivery of the first Polish unit to the training unit at Arkansas, the first F-35As will arrive at central Poland’s Lask Air Base in 2026, with deliveries to run until 2030.
In 2023, Ebbing ANGB was selected over Joint Base San Antinio-Lackland, Texas, and Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Michigan to host the F-35 Foreign Military Sales training programme – which will also welcome F-35 pilots from Finland, Germany, Switzerland and Singapore in the coming years.
In August 2024, the first Polish Air Force F-35A – dubbed the ‘Husarz’, or ‘Hussar’ – was ceremoniously rolled out by its manufacturer Lockheed Martin at its Forth Worth, Texas production facility. At the time, Polish air force inspector Major General Ireneusz Nowak commented that “over more than 100 years of the Polish Air Force, there have been many generations of pilots and aircraft. I am proud to be part of history today, introducing the F-35 as the next generation, which will protect and defend Poland’s future for many years”.
