| Polish Air Force | |
|---|---|
| Siły Powietrzne | |
 | |
| Founded | de facto: 1917[1] de jure: 1918[2] |
| Country |  Poland |
| Type | Air force |
| Role | Aerial warfare |
| Size | |
| Part of | Polish Armed Forces |
| March | Marsz Lotników (March of Aviators)[5] |
| Engagements | Polish–Ukrainian War Polish–Soviet War World War II War in Iraq War in Afghanistan Operation Inherent Resolve |
| Website | www |
| Commanders | |
| Commander-in-Chief | Andrzej Duda |
| Minister of National Defence | Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz |
| Chief of the General Staff | General Wiesław Kukuła |
| General Commander | Generał broni Marek Sokołowski |
| Inspector of the Air Force | Generał brygady Ireneusz Nowak |
| Insignia | |
 | |
| Ceremonial flag[6] |  |
| Garrison flag[6] |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Attack | Su-22 |
| Fighter | F-16, MiG-29, F-35 |
| Helicopter | Mi-8, Mi-17, Mi-2, PZL W-3, PZL SW-4, S-70i |
| Reconnaissance | PZL M-28, TB2 |
| Trainer | PZL-130, M-346 |
| Transport | C-130, C-295, M-28, 737 |
The Polish Air Force (Polish: Siły Powietrzne, lit. 'Air Forces') is the aerial warfare branch of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej (lit. 'Aerial and Air Defense Forces'). In 2014 it consisted of roughly 26,000 military personnel and about 475 aircraft, distributed among ten bases throughout Poland.
The Polish Air Force can trace its origins to the second half of 1917 and was officially established in the months following the end of World War I in 1918. During the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany in 1939, 70% of its aircraft were destroyed. Most pilots, after the Soviet invasion of Poland on 17 September, escaped via Romania and Hungary to continue fighting throughout World War II in allied air forces, first in France, then in Britain, and later also the Soviet Union.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
shindenwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
bartelwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej - Portal Gov.pl" (PDF). Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej. Archived from the original on May 14, 2014.
- ^ "World Air Forces 2022". Flightglobal Insight. 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
- ^ "Marsz Lotników – (Polish Air Forces March)". YouTube. 28 August 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
- ^ a b "Ustawa z dnia 19 lutego 1993 r. o znakach Sił Zbrojnych Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej" [Act of 19 February 1993 on the symbols of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland] (PDF). isap.sejm.gov.pl (in Polish). Internet System of Legal Acts. pp. 24–28. Retrieved 10 October 2021.