Poland lacks F-16 pilots. We have more planes than people who can fly them

The Polish Air Force faces a critical shortage of F-16 pilots, with only about 40 available instead of the needed 70. This shortage is exacerbated by the transfer of experienced pilots to F-35 training and an ineffective training system that produces only a few new pilots annually. The modernization of the F-16 fleet, valued at nearly 15 billion PLN, is at risk due to insufficient personnel, which could lead to operational limitations. The military's planning issues extend beyond pilot training, affecting infrastructure development for new equipment, including Apache helicopters, which will require a significant number of trained pilots in the coming years.