The Polish Air Force (Polish: Siły Powietrzne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej – literally: Air Forces of the Republic of Poland) is a military branch of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej (literally: Air-and-Air Defence Forces). In 2010 it consisted of roughly 16,000 military personnel and about 320 aircraft, distributed among 12 bases throughout Poland. The Polish Air Force is currently one of the most advanced in Central Europe, equipped with 48 F-16 jet fighter aircraft (2008) designed by Lockheed Martin specifically for Poland, including F-16 D block 52+, the most advanced in NATO.
The Polish Air Force can trace its origins to the months following the end of World War I in 1918. Following the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany in 1939, much of the Polish Air Force was destroyed, although many of its pilots were able to continue fighting throughout World War II in air squadrons in Britain and the Soviet Union. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Poland has steadily reduced its reliance upon Russian-built aircraft and by 2012 will have three squadrons of US F-16 fighter aircraft fully operational.
Read more about Polish Air Force: Aircraft, Retired Aircraft, Polish Air Force Tu-154 Crash, 2010
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