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Poland’s first Italy-built F-35A completes maiden flight; Nigeria advances M-346FA deliveries with factory acceptance tests

Poland’s first Italy-built F-35A—part of a 32-jet program—has completed its maiden test flight as deliveries continue. In parallel, Nigeria’s air force has completed factory acceptance tests on the first batch of three Leonardo M-346FAs at Venegono, Italy, after earlier delivery timing expected in 2025.

Discovered 2026-07-29T14:51:32.503850-07:00 | 2026-07-29T14:51:32.503850-07:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

Both updates track near-term fighter delivery readiness—Poland progressing an initial Italy-built F-35A flight test for its 32-jet buy, and Nigeria completing factory acceptance tests for its first three Leonardo M-346FAs.
For procurement and sustainment planning, these milestones provide evidence of factory-to-delivery momentum and timeline expectations beyond earlier 2025 delivery projections for Nigeria’s first batch.
The cluster signals continued defense acquisition execution with two different combat-aircraft trajectories: fifth-generation transition planning for Poland and advanced trainer/light-attack fielding for Nigeria.

Reported By

FlightGlobal Aviation A2Z