Christmas came early for the Polish Air Force, as its first two Lockheed Martin F-35A “Husarz” fighters arrived at Ebbing Air National Guard Base (ANGB), Arkansas, on Monday. The pair of fighters will be used to train Polish pilots on the fifth-generation stealth fighters as part of the Foreign Military Sales Program.

Poland is one of several NATO members that announced plans to adopt the F-35 Lightning II, which is produced in three variants. Warsaw’s aircraft will be the conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) F-35A model. Following a longstanding tradition with the Polish Air Force, the warplanes will receive a domestic moniker—in this case, Husarz (Polish for “Hussar”).

The Winged Cavalry

Selected by a public competition, the designation honors the historic Polish Winged Hussars, a famed sixteenth and seventeenth-century cavalry unit. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth’s elite unit was originally formed in 1503, with many of its members coming from the Polish nobility. The Winged Hussars received their name from the colorful and elaborate uniforms that incorporated military influences from the Byzantine Empire and the Mongol cavalry initially, and later from the Balkans, Russia, and the Ottoman Empire.

The cavalry troopers wore a metal zischägge, or “lobster-tail” helmet, and highly adorned armor that consisted of a cuirass (breastplate), spaulders over the shoulders, a bevor around the neck, and arm braces. Most notably, and unique to the hussars, the troopers wore a pair of wings that arched from the end of the saddles to over their heads and fluttered in the wind.

The cavalry unit participated in numerous engagements and helped Poland and her allies win more than sixteen major battles during the commonwealth’s “Golden Age,” which saw conflicts with Ottoman and Russian forces. The Winged Hussars, led by King Jan Sobieski, have been credited with helping break the Ottoman siege of Vienna in September 1693, ending Turkish expansion into Europe.

Protecting Europe’s Flank

The Polish Air Force officially received its first F-35 at a ceremony at Lockheed Martin’s facility in Fort Worth, Texas, in August. Warsaw’s program of record is for thirty-two of the fifth-generation fighters, part of a $4.6 billion deal signed in 2020. It also included training and simulators, as well as a logistic support package for the aircraft.

The fleet of F-35 Husarz fighters will begin to arrive in Poland in 2026, but the first two fighters are instead heading to Ebbing ANGB for the aforementioned training.

“The arrival of Poland’s first F-35s is a significant milestone for our state, the nation and our allies who will train on this fifth-generation fighter at Ebbing Air National Guard Base,” said Brigadier General Chad Bridges, Arkansas adjutant general.

“I’m extremely proud of the whole team in the 188th Wing and the staffs at Razorback Range and Fort Chaffee Joint Maneuver Training Center for the planning and work that has resulted in the sound of freedom returning to the River Valley,” Bridges added. “They’ve partnered with the active-duty Air Force to go from concept to jets being parked on the ramp in a compressed timeframe. We are thankful for the dedicated teamwork of those in Fort Smith, Sebastian County, our entire congressional delegation and state elected officials who have moved mountains to make this mission possible in Arkansas.”

According to the Arkansas National Guard Public Affairs Office, “Ebbing ANGB will also host F-35 pilots from Finland, Germany, Switzerland and Singapore in the coming years.”

Replacing Legacy Soviet Aircraft

Deliveries of Poland’s nearly three dozen F-35s will continue through 2030, allowing Warsaw to phase out its Cold War-era Mikoyan MiG-29 (NATO reporting name “Fulcrum”) fighters. In July, it was reported that Warsaw would likely send the remaining MiG-29s to Ukraine as it receives the F-35s.

The F-35 isn’t the first Western-made fighter to be adopted by the NATO member state. The Polish Air Force also operates the F-16 Fighting Falcon, which is locally designated the “Jastrzab” (Polish for “Hawk”).

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites, with over 3,200 published pieces and over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].

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