Poland’s air force has only about 40 trained F-16 pilots for its fleet of 47 jets, less than the 70 needed to operate the aircraft effectively, according to reports in Rzeczpospolita .
The shortfall stems from a training pipeline that produces just a handful of jet pilots each year in Poland, with additional specialized courses in the United States limited by availability. Training a single F-16 pilot takes roughly two years and costs over 21 million złoty, according to the director of the Military Institute of Aviation Medicine .
Some experienced F-16 pilots have transitioned to the newer F-35, further thinning the ranks. In 2025, Poland signed a 15 billion złoty contract to modernize its F-16s to the Viper variant, yet the air force lacks the hundreds of millions needed to train enough pilots to match the fleet’s requirements .
The problem extends beyond the F-16. From 2028, Poland expects 96 AH-64E Apache helicopters, each requiring two pilots. By 2032, the air force aims to have over 400 Apache pilots, a target that underscores the broader training gap .
A former air force inspector, now operational commander Gen. Ireneusz Nowak, publicly warned of pilot shortages four years ago, but the issue remains unresolved . The Ministry of Defence has classified exact pilot numbers as non-public, declining to confirm the figures .
