Polish FA-50s Have Begun Combat Duty

The Polish Air Force’s FA-50GF light combat aircraft have begun combat duty.

Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced this on the evening of October 2.

This took place nearly three years after the first aircraft were delivered.

“The FA-50GF light fighter jets have just entered combat duty. This means another reinforcement of our eastern border,” the Polish minister stated.

Kosiniak-Kamysz noted that although the aircraft were purchased unarmed, Poland managed to acquire the necessary armaments, allowing them to now be used for national defense missions.

In February of this year, it was reported that the aircraft had received—not leased— AIM-9L Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missiles. These are intended to provide basic air defense capabilities for the FA-50GF.

Prior to this, in 2023, Poland leased AIM-9P missiles from the Republic of Korea and also purchased 24 AIM-9L missiles, training munitions, and a logistics package.

Polish FA-50GFs

FA-50GFs entered service with the Polish Air Force in the second half of 2023. They can only use older, discontinued versions of the AIM-9L, M, and P air-to-air missiles, rather than the newer AIM-9X missiles that Poland ordered for its F-16 and F-35 fighters.

According to the original plans, they were to serve as an interim aircraft that would later be upgraded to the PL variant, capable of firing the latest missile version—the AIM-9X. However, in late 2025, it became known that the upgrade had been deemed economically unfeasible, and these aircraft will be used primarily for pilot training.

At the same time, the FA-50GF will retain its basic combat capabilities and perform combat duty as needed. To this end, the Polish Air Force plans to integrate European short-range missiles—the IRIS-T or AIM-132 ASRAAM—onto these aircraft in the future.

Problems with weapons procurement

Problems with procuring weapons for the FA-50GF arose not only with air-to-air missiles. For a long time, Polish Army procurement officials were unable to find ammunition for the aircraft’s automatic cannons.

It was not until September 2025, during the DSEI 2025 exhibition, that the Turkish company Makine ve Kimya Endüstrisi signed an agreement to export to Poland 100,000 rounds of 20 mm ammunition for these aircraft.