DEBLIN, POLAND – In the presence of President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda, an agreement was signed today between the governments of Poland and the U.S. for the purchase of 32 F-35A Conventional Take Off and Landing (CTOL) variant fighter jets. Poland becomes the 14th nation and 10th NATO country to buy the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II. Initial deliveries will begin in 2024 and in-country deliveries in 2026, Lockheed Martin said.

This afternoon on Friday January 31, 2019 at 3:00 PM local time, Poland signed the deal worth $4.6B, making the former Warsaw Pact country to become the 10th NATO nation to join the F-35 program. The 5th generation fighter enables unmatched interoperability and fully integrated coalition efforts for the Polish Armed Forces.

#Dęblin| Prezydent RP @AndrzejDuda: Chcę ogromnie podziękować wszystkim, którzy przyczynili się do podpisania tej umowy. Dziękuję panu premierowi, ministrowi @mblaszczak , z całego serca pani ambasador @USAmbPoland, wszystkim naszym sojusznikom i przedstawicielom @LockheedMartin. pic.twitter.com/hqk9POhtz6

— TOP TVP INFO (@TOPTVPINFO) January 31, 2020

“I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the signing of this agreement. Thank you, Prime Minister (Mateusz Morawiecki), Minister Mariusz Błaszczak, with all my heart the ambassador (Georgette Mosbacher), to all our allies and representatives of Lockheed Martin,” President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda said today after the contract was signed at Dęblin in Poland.

Samoloty wielozadaniowe #F35 wzmocnią polskie Siły Powietrzne!

Dziś w obecności Prezydenta RP podpisana została umowa między rządami PL 🇵🇱 i USA 🇺🇸 na zakup 32 myśliwców V generacji.https://t.co/B4oj5oX8yF pic.twitter.com/ZO8i0X1cPU

— Kancelaria Prezydenta (@prezydentpl) January 31, 2020

The Polish Air Force F-35A will replace the old Polish fighter jets from the Cold War – the MiG-29 and Su-22. The first F-35A will be delivered in 2024.

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(Head image: Lockheed Martin)