First Polish F-35As Arrive At Arkansas Air National Guard Training Base
The Polish Air Force’s first pair of F-35A Lightning II fifth-generation fighter aircraft arrived at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas on 23 December.
The two F-35As arrived ahead of the start of training for Polish fighter pilots on the F-35A in January 2025.
Ebbing ANGB was selected as the host base for the F-35 Foreign Military Sales pilot training mission and a Republic of Singapore Air Force F-16 squadron in 2023. The Air Force’s 85th Fighter Group, a tenant on Ebbing ANGB, will conduct the F-35 pilot training for the Foreign Military Sales program, with future F-35 pilots from Finland, Germany, Switzerland, and Singapore set to be trained at Ebbing.
“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 Brig. Gen. 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 today. 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.”
Poland’s first two F-35As were seen making their first flights from Lockheed Martin’s F-35 production facility in Fort Worth, Texas at the start of December, following the ceremonial handover of the first F-35A in August.
The Polish Air Force currently has 32 F-35As on order. In Polish service, the F-35A will be known as the “Husarz”, in tribute to Poland’s famed winged hussar cavalrymen.