# Poland cleared to buy 32 F-35A's **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 12, 2019, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poland-cleared-to-buy-32-f-35as/840135 "2019-09-12T23:46:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2019, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poland-cleared-to-buy-32-f-35as/840135/1 "2019-09-12T23:46:37Z")
[https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2019/09/11/poland-cleared-to-buy-f-35-fleet/](https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2019/09/11/poland-cleared-to-buy-f-35-fleet/) > [@](#): > > The U.S. State Department has OK’d Poland to buy the F-35, America’s most advanced fighter, setting up the country as the newest customer for the fifth-generation jet. > > The proposed order covers 32 of the conventional-takeoff-and-landing F-35A variants, with an estimated price tag of $6.5 billion, according to a Wednesday announcement on the website of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency. … I’d call this good news. I doubt Russia will be very happy about it. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2019, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poland-cleared-to-buy-32-f-35as/840135/2 "2019-09-13T00:34:56Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I’d call this good news. I doubt Russia will be very happy about it. 24 is a pretty small capability. They are overdue to replace the former Soviet aircraft still in their inventory. Leaning forward in the saddle to upgrade to a fifth gen fighter instead of just buying more fourth gen F16s as replacements is probably a smaller issue. Air defense improvement like the ongoing build of the Aegis Ashore in Poland along with the purchase of the Patriot are a much bigger punch in Russian teeth. Shifting a good chunk of their armored force to the German built Leopard 2 and the upgrades of the 2A4 variants they have to the new 2PL variant are probably bigger kicks in Russian teeth too. NATO allies can flex modern aircraft forward a lot faster than they can ship heavy ground forces by sea Still it’s a nice little addition for them and their ongoing modernization effort. Poland is quietly becoming the cornerstone of NATO’s deterrence in eastern Europe. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2019, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poland-cleared-to-buy-32-f-35as/840135/3 "2019-09-13T02:57:56Z")
Not unusual. According to National Defense Magazine in May this year: ([https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2019/5/24/international-market-for-f-35-heats-up](https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2019/5/24/international-market-for-f-35-heats-up))… > [@](#): > > Australia, Canada, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Turkey and the United Kingdom currently are in formal partnership with the United States on the F-35 program. Israel, Japan and South Korea have made orders through the foreign military sales process. Belgium also recently signed on to purchase platforms. > [@](#): > > Vice Adm. Mathias Winter, program executive officer for the F-35 joint program office, said his team is currently examining a number of new potential FMS candidates. These include nations such as Singapore, Greece, Romania, Spain and Poland, he said in written testimony to the House Armed Services subcommittee on tactical and land forces in April. > > Additionally, “the F-35 FMS team is also focused on responding to formal requests for proposals from both Finland and Switzerland, with U.S. government response expected in August and November, respectively,” he said. We sell stuff like this all around the world; just few people hear about it. A great source for major sales via Foreign Military Sales (Government to Government) is: [Major Arms Sales | Defense Security Cooperation Agency](https://www.dsca.mil/major-arms-sales) But yes, I doubt Russia will be amused. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2019, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poland-cleared-to-buy-32-f-35as/840135/4 "2019-09-13T03:40:06Z")
Poland’s a NATO ally. Why wouldn’t they be buying American military equipment? ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2019, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poland-cleared-to-buy-32-f-35as/840135/5 "2019-09-13T11:02:31Z")
Does the F-35 actually work yet? ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2019, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poland-cleared-to-buy-32-f-35as/840135/6 "2019-09-13T13:30:46Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > Does the F-35 actually work yet? Not to its fully capability, but it has been operational for some time now. > **[Air Force F-15s, F-35s dump 80,000 pounds of bombs on Iraqi island](https://www.airforcetimes.com/flashpoints/2019/09/10/air-force-f-15s-f-35s-dump-80000-pounds-of-bombs-on-iraqi-island/)** > > The U.S.-led coalition countering ISIS in Iraq and Syria dumped 80,000 pounds of bombs on Qanus Island in Iraq on Tuesday to prevent the Islamic State from using the island as a source of refuge. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2019, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poland-cleared-to-buy-32-f-35as/840135/7 "2019-09-13T13:57:33Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I doubt Russia will be very happy about it. I doubt Poland will be very happy about it, either. Unless they mean to gift them to the Russians, hoping they are stupid enough to try and use them. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2019, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poland-cleared-to-buy-32-f-35as/840135/8 "2019-09-13T21:18:33Z")
> [@DinoR](#): > > 24 is a pretty small capability. They are overdue to replace the former Soviet aircraft still in their inventory. Leaning forward in the saddle to upgrade to a fifth gen fighter instead of just buying more fourth gen F16s as replacements is probably a smaller issue. > > Air defense improvement like the ongoing build of the Aegis Ashore in Poland along with the purchase of the Patriot are a much bigger punch in Russian teeth. Shifting a good chunk of their armored force to the German built Leopard 2 and the upgrades of the 2A4 variants they have to the new 2PL variant are probably bigger kicks in Russian teeth too. NATO allies can flex modern aircraft forward a lot faster than they can ship heavy ground forces by sea > > Still it’s a nice little addition for them and their ongoing modernization effort. Poland is quietly becoming the cornerstone of NATO’s deterrence in eastern Europe. Serving as stealthy, forward air defense sensor nodes is going to be incredibly valuable, and synergizes well with what you mention in the beginning of your second paragraph. They don’t need to fire a shot (though I imagine they’d be good at it), provided Poland gets all of the networking toys with the platform, and thereby can offload target information to the shooters.