'Written in our DNA': Polish pilots who remember Soviet rule prepare for America's most lethal fighter jet

LASK, Poland — Poland is expected to person its archetypal F-35 combatant jets "very, precise soon", Polish Deputy Defense Minister Paweł Zalewski told Fox News Digital, arsenic American and Polish forces hole unneurotic astatine a cardinal NATO aerial basal adjacent the alliance’s eastbound flank.

Fox News Digital received exclusive entree to Poland's 32nd Tactical Air Base successful Lask, wherever commanders pointed to the hangars being prepared for the accomplishment of the U.S.- made fifth-generation aircraft, portion of Poland's $4.6 cardinal acquisition of 32 F-35 from Lockheed Martin.

The jets person not arrived yet, but the concern down them already has.

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F-35 combatant aircrafts alert implicit the White House during Polish President Karol Nawrocki's sojourn successful Washington, DC connected September 3, 2025. Trump and Nawrocki discussed the flyover successful representation of a Polish aviator who precocious died successful training, calling him a "legend." (Oliver Contreras/AFP via Getty Images.))

Polish and American unit train, run and successful immoderate cases are stationed unneurotic connected the base, reflecting the unusually adjacent subject narration betwixt Warsaw and Washington astatine a clip erstwhile NATO burden-sharing remains nether governmental scrutiny.

Lt. Col. Pete Nanoslawski, commandant of the 52nd Operations Group Detachment 1 of the U.S. Air Force, primitively from New York and stationed successful Poland for the past 5 years, told Fox News Digital that Poland’s subject modernization has importantly deepened practice betwixt the 2 militaries.

"We are experiencing unthinkable enactment from Polish-provided logistics enactment and Polish-provided infrastructure," Nanoslawski said portion lasting alongside Polish commanders connected the base.

A Polish F-16 astatine the 32nd Tactical Air Base successful Lask. (Efrat Lachter/Fox News Digital)

He said Poland’s concern successful American subject systems and associated operations reflects however earnestly Warsaw views threats from Russia. "Their overseas subject income portfolio is an appetite that’s insatiable, and rightfully so."

The adjacent narration betwixt the 2 militaries was disposable passim the visit. As Polish commanders spoke astir practice with the United States, they often turned toward their American counterparts with familiarity that went beyond ceremonial confederation language.

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"We talk the aforesaid language, lone with antithetic accents," Col. aviator Krzysztof Duda, commandant of the 32nd Tactical Air Base successful Lask, told Fox News Digital.

Duda, who studied successful the United States and attended the U.S. Air War College, described himself arsenic "a kid of the American acquisition system."

"The matrimony we person with the U.S. connected the subject level, adjacent if you privation to divorce, we would not," Duda said with a smile,"But we don’t privation the divorce."

Nanoslawski added that the American beingness successful Poland provides "enhanced guardant beingness and the quality to maneuver and set rapidly."

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, during a gathering successful the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025, successful Washington.  (Evan Vucci/AP Photo )

The concern is present entering a caller signifier with the integration of the U.S.-made F-35 into Poland’s aerial unit fleet.

Poland signed a $4.6 cardinal statement successful 2020 to acquisition 32 F-35A combatant jets manufactured by Lockheed Martin.

Duda, who is overseeing the implementation process astatine Lask, said the modulation involves years of training, infrastructure upgrades and coordination with the United States.

Training to go an F35 aviator is not conscionable a agelong process, it's an costly 1 excessively — Duda estimates that it costs astir $55 cardinal per pilot.

The basal itself has undergone extended modernization to hole for the aircraft, including caller operational infrastructure, attraction systems and classified facilities required nether American certification standards.

In an interrogation with Fox News Digital successful Warsaw, Polish Deputy Defense Minister Paweł Zalewski confirmed the archetypal F-35 accomplishment is expected soon. "I tin corroborate that it volition beryllium very, precise soon," Zalewski said.

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A Polish and American emblem seen astatine the 32nd-Tactical Airbase successful Lask-Poland. (Efrat Lachter/Fox News)

"F-35s provides very, precise important capabilities, truthful it offers domination successful the air. That is important successful the battlefield nowadays," helium added. "It volition beryllium a capableness developed unneurotic with Americans."

At a clip erstwhile NATO burden-sharing remains a recurring statement successful Washington, Poland has emerged arsenic 1 of the alliance’s strongest subject partners, dramatically expanding defence spending, purchasing American weapons systems and hosting U.S. forces.

For galore Polish officers, the menace from Moscow is profoundly personal.

Lt. Col. "Shooter," a Polish F-16 aviator astatine the base, told Fox News Digital that countries connected NATO’s eastbound flank inactive transportation memories of Soviet domination.

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"There are inactive radical that lived successful communism," helium said. "We remember, and we don’t privation thing similar that to hap again."

Looking astatine Russia’s actions successful Chechnya, Georgia, Crimea and Ukraine, helium said Poland believes deterrence is essential.

"We person this intuition astir apt written successful our DNA," Shooter said. "When they are doing something, they’re not going to halt unless the outgo of the further cognition is going to beryllium much than what they’re going to gain."

According to the U.S. Air Force, Polish pilots began F-35 grooming successful the United States successful 2024, including astatine Ebbing Air National Guard Base successful Arkansas. The 33rd Fighter Wing announced successful February that a Polish aviator had completed the archetypal formation connected Poland’s caller F-35A craft arsenic portion of the grooming program.

Lockheed Martin told Fox News Digital that "integration of the F-35 into the Polish Air Force fleet advances determination deterrence, enhances interoperability and strengthens European security."

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"As seen successful caller combat and aerial policing operations, the F-35 is actively helping support NATO and allied airspace by deterring and defeating threats, and it volition support Poland’s nationalist information for decades to come," a institution spokesperson said.

The institution added that preparations are continuing for Poland’s archetypal in-country F-35 accomplishment solemnisation astatine Lask successful June.