US pledges $4 billion loan for Poland as F-35 jets make inaugural flight

The F-35 ceremony

Three Polish F-35A jets flew over Polish cities on the morning of 12 June before the official welcoming ceremony at the 32nd Tactical Air Base in Łask. Poland becomes the first NATO member on the eastern flank to operate the fifth-generation stealth aircraft, which are equipped with a sensor suite that feeds data to the pilot and other units. President Karol Nawrocki, Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, and US Under Secretary Thomas DiNanno attended the event. The overflight and induction mark the first operational step under a 2020 contract for 32 aircraft worth $4.6 billion. The first three machines were delivered in May, with the full fleet scheduled to arrive by 2029.

A new $4 billion loan

During his speech, DiNanno announced that the State Department had cleared another $4 billion for Poland through the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) programme. FMF provides allies with low-interest loans and occasional grants for purchases of American defence equipment. The new commitment raises the total pool of FMF financing available to Poland to almost $20 billion, according to DiNanno. The funds can be used for any US-made military kit, and the secretary noted they could cover additional F-35 jets if Warsaw wishes. The previous FMF agreement, also for $4 billion, was signed in July 2025 and was partly earmarked for F-16 modernisation.

Poland’s military build-up

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Poland has ramped up defence spending to 4.48% of GDP in 2025 and has targeted 4.8% in 2026, far above NATO’s 2% guideline. The country has signed enormous procurement deals, chiefly with the US and South Korea, making it the largest European buyer of American weapons. Earlier FMF tranches helped finance Abrams main battle tanks, Patriot air-defence systems, and AH-64E Apache helicopters. Warsaw has also used the programme to accelerate purchases without having to disburse the full amount from the state budget at once.

What officials said

Poland does not wait for others to take care of its future. Poland takes care of its own defence, and the United States is proud to cooperate with such an ally that takes its responsibility fully on its shoulders and is serious about what it does.

DiNanno described the financing as part of “NATO 3.0 that actually works” and called Poland a priority ally. President Nawrocki called the induction a historic day and a breakthrough leap for the Air Force. Defence Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz likened the FMF mechanism to an “American SAFE” and said the government will examine the new offer:

This is a good opportunity, we will certainly consider it, and if there are military needs and financial possibilities, it’s certainly worth using.

What happens next

The Polish defence ministry must now confirm whether it will take up the full $4 billion loan. Given the established pattern — FMF has been tapped every year since 2022 — and the government’s stated goal of rapidly modernising the armed forces, it is likely to proceed. The immediate focus remains bedding in the initial three F-35s while contractors work toward delivering the remaining 29 jets by 2029.