Italian F-35A fighters already in Poland. They will patrol our skies
Two F-35A Lightning II fighters flew from Italy to the air base in Malbork. NATO Command decided to strengthen the Polish eastern flank and additional patrols of as many as four modern machines.
NATO announced the deployment of additional fighters to Poland. There are two modern F-35A Lightning II aircraft on the eastern flank of the alliance, which will start patrols immediately.
Italian F-35A in Poland – NATO reinforces Malbork
Two F-35As arrived at the Malbork air base on Thursday, and will soon be joined by two more machines of the same designation. Modern fighters from Italy are intended to “strengthen NATO’s deterrence and defense capabilities,” the Ministry of National Defense wrote on Twitter.
The main task of the military aircraft will be to patrol the entire eastern flank of the military alliance. First, there will be familiarization flights, and then the pilots will start regular border flights.
– The deployment of modern 5th generation fighters in Poland, just half a year after the Royal Netherlands Air Force’s F-35s completed a similar mission, demonstrates NATO’s ability to flexibly shift its combat capabilities – emphasized Major General Gianluca Ercolani, Chief of Staff of the Allied Air Force Command.
F-35 Lightning II fighters will go to the Polish army
It is worth recalling that the Ministry of National Defense also ordered the F-35 for the needs of Polish aviation. 32 machines were contracted in 2020, and their production started in April this year. The value of the contract is over USD 4.6 billion.
The F-35 Lightning II produced by Lockheed Martin is a single-seat, single-engine, fifth-generation multi-role fighter. It reaches a speed of over 2,000 km/h and is equipped with a 25 mm cannon and suspended missiles and bombs.
The plane is capable of performing close support missions, bombing and typical air combat tasks. Thanks to the use of stealth technology, the fighter is undetectable to short-range radars.
