Following a Foreign Military Sale approval for 400 AIM-120D-3 missiles in April, Poland has now signed a contract for the weapons that will arm its F-35s.
Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz has signed the contract for the acquisition of the AIM-120D-3 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile) that will arm the Polish Air Force’s F-35 Husarz fleet. The deal, worth $500 million, follows a Foreign Military Sale approval for 400 AIM-120D-3 missiles in April 2025.
As part of the FMS, Poland has requested 400 AIM-120D-3s, as well as guidance sections, control sections, instrumented test vehicles, spares and support. The estimated total cost at the time was $1.33 billion.
Kupujemy najlepsze pociski rakietowe AIM-120D-3 do samolotów F35! Wartość kontraktu to 500 mln dolarów.
To kolejna umowa z rządem Stanów Zjednoczonych na zakup nowoczesnego uzbrojenia, w tym rakiet dla polskich samolotów 🇵🇱🤝🇺🇲 pic.twitter.com/PacQPRt0iZ
— Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz (@KosiniakKamysz) November 27, 2025
Deliveries of the new weapons are currently planned for 2030-2031. The new AMRAAMs will provide, compared to the previously acquired AIM-120C missiles, extended range, improved navigation, and better communication with the F-35 launch platform.
AIM-120 AMRAAM
The AIM-120 AMRAAM is one of the world’s most advanced and proven air-to-air missiles, with over 15 kills in combat environments, including in Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo, India, and Syria. AMRAAM has an all-weather, BVR (beyond-visual-range), multiple-launch fire-and-forget capability, which allows pilots to launch the missile without the need for manual tracking post-launch.
Umowa na pociski rakietowe AIM-120D-3 do 🇵🇱samolotów F35 podpisana. pic.twitter.com/uOieTGyltr
— Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej 🇵🇱 (@MON_GOV_PL) November 27, 2025
The weapon is compatible with a multitude of aircraft (14 platforms in 44 countries according to Raytheon), including the F-4, F-15, F-16 (of which a D model achieved the first ever AMRAAM kill in Iraq), F/A-18, F-22, F-35, AV-8B, Eurofighter Typhoon, JAS-39 Gripen, and Panavia Tornado, among other aircraft, and is in service with more than 40 nations worldwide.
Since its introduction, the AMRAAM has gone through continuous upgrades, resulting in multiple variants, from the original A and B models to the more advanced C and D versions. Starting with the AIM-120C-5, the missile received improved High Off-Boresight (HOBs) capability, enhancing both its maneuverability and the seeker’s field of view. The AIM-120C-8, included in this record-breaking contract, began flight testing in 2023.
Developed as part of the Form, Fit, Function Refresh (F3R), the AIM-120C-8 incorporates updated hardware and is designed to support future agile software upgrades. According to RTX, the F3R effort leveraged model-based systems engineering and other digital tools to modernize key components in the missile’s guidance section, including circuit cards and processors, while rehosting legacy software onto both the AIM-120D-3 and C-8 variants.
The C8 was initially intended as the export version of AMRAAM while the D3 remained exclusive to U.S. forces. Testing of the AIM-120C-8 began immediately after the D3’s test campaign wrapped up.
The AIM-120D builds upon the C series with enhancements across the board, offering up to 50% more range than the AIM-120C-7 (which entered service in 2008), improved kinematics, and refined guidance throughout the flight envelope. It reached Initial Operational Capability with U.S. forces in 2015.
As we reported in detail last year, the AIM-120D3 variant may become part of a high/low combination of payloads carried by U.S. fighters together with the new and secretive AIM-260 JATM (Joint Advanced Tactical Missile), the company’s vice president for requirements and capabilities John Norman told reporters on Sep. 10, 2024.
Polish F-35A program
On Sept. 11, 2019, the U.S. State Department approved the sale of 32 F-35 fifth-generation jets to Poland at a cost of USD 6.5 billion, according to a Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announcement. Poland opted for the F-35A CTOL (Conventional Take-Off and Landing) variant to replace its aging Soviet-era MiG-29 and Su-22 fleets.
In January 2020, a contract was signed for the procurement of 32 5th generation aircraft, with first delivery expected in 2024.
Along with the aircraft, Poland has also acquired various weapon systems for the F-35, including AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles and “several hundreds” AGM-158B JASSM-ER cruise missiles. Additionally, the U.S. Department of State and Congress have approved further procurements, such as AIM-9X-2 Sidewinder missiles and AARGM-ER anti-radiation missiles.
As revealed in a interview that the Polish Press Agency (PAP) conducted with the head of the MoD, Minister Mariusz Błaszczak, in 2021, the Polish F-35 fleet of 32 aircraft will be stationed at Łask AB in central Poland.
Following the acquisition of the F-35 by the Polish Armed Forces, the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces announced a competition for the name of the new fighter jets. Individuals submitted their proposed name for the F-35 fighter under a post on the official profile of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces on social media that remained online between April 12 and April 18, 2024.
At the end of the poll, Husarz (Polish for Winged Hussar) was selected as the official nickname for the Polish F-35. Noteworthy, Until now, in Polish service, the nicknames of individual aircraft were described by birds of prey (like “Sokol”, Polish for “Falcon”, or Jastrzębie, Polish for Hawk). The ‘Hussar’ was a member of a class of light cavalry that was first formed in the Kingdom of Poland at the beginning of the 16th Century.
