On the 10th and 11th of September, a significant chapter in the history of the Polish Air Force came to a close, as the nation officially retired the Sukhoi Su-22 Fitter from active service. Operated by Poland for over four decades, the iconic swing-wing fighter-bomber served as a mainstay of the country’s tactical strike capability throughout the latter stages of the Cold War and into the 21st century. During its long service life, the Su-22 played a key role in countless training exercises, operational deployments, and multinational missions. Its continued operation saw Poland through a period of major transformation, including its historic accession into the NATO alliance in 1999. In this article, Mark Empson explores the Su-22’s storied career within the Polish Air Force and reports from the retirement celebrations that marked the end of operations for this cold war era aircraft.

Poland Su-22 Operational History

Poland first signalled its intent to purchase Sukhoi Su-22 aircraft in 1983, when it signed a contract for 80 Su-22M4 single-seat aircraft and a further 20 Su-22UM3K twin-seat trainers. At the time, the country was very much a part of the Eastern Bloc and influenced both politically and militarily by the USSR. Poland was also a member of the Warsaw Pact, a Soviet-led military alliance that was strongly opposed to the western NATO alliance. Poland received its first Sukhoi Su-22 aircraft, a Su-22M4 single-seater, on 28 August 1984. The aircraft was delivered to Powidz Air Base, where it was subsequently reassembled and flown. A total of 110 aircraft (90 Su-22M4s and 20 Su-22UM3Ks) were delivered to Poland, with deliveries completed by 1988. From delivery the aircraft wore a green camouflage topside with light blue underside paint scheme, fitting for low level air to ground operations.

The aircraft were assigned to multiple Pułk Lotnictwa Myśliwsko-Bombowego (PLMB’s), meaning Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiments. These were:

• 6th PLMB (Piła)
• 7th PLMB (Powidz)
• 8th PLMB (Mirosławiec)
• 40th PLMB (Świdwin)

After the 2000’s and the integration into NATO, the Polish Air Force went through a phase of restructuring and the PLMB’s were re-organised into Air Base’s and Tactical Squadrons, the most widely known was the 40th PLMB becoming the 21. Baza Lotnictwa Taktycznego (21st Tactical Air Base) Świdwin. The Su-22’s primary role in the Polish Air Force was frontline tactical strike, and later the mission role also included reconnaissance. During the years of service the aircraft retained its full array of soviet era weaponry which included one internally mounted GSh-23 23mm twin-barrel cannon, externally mounted rocket pods, general purpose free fall bombs and various guided air to ground missiles. Due to the cost of integration no ‘western’ munitions were ever adopted by the Su-22 fleet. The aircraft were later equipped with an array of electronic reconnaissance, targeting and jamming pods.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the disbandment of the Warsaw Pact in 1991, Poland began shifting toward closer ties with the West. This transition ultimately led to Poland joining the NATO alliance in March 1999. Despite this political and strategic realignment, the Polish Air Force continued to operate its fleet of Soviet-designed Sukhoi Su-22 and MiG-29 aircraft. Maintaining these aircraft proved increasingly difficult due to the lack of Russian technical support. To address this, Poland turned to its domestic aerospace industry — specifically WZL Nr 2 (Wojskowe Zakłady Lotnicze Nr 2) in Bydgoszcz — which became responsible for the maintenance, repair, and overhaul of the fleet. By around 2014 a small portion of the remaining fleet undertook a life extension and upgrade program. This effort covered 18 aircraft (12 Su-22M4s + 6 Su-22UM3Ks) and included several key improvements including:

• Updated avionics systems
• A new NATO compatible RS-6113-2 C2M radio, recognised with an externally mounted blade antenna mounted on the aircrafts upper fuselage.
• Application of a new two-tone grey camouflage paint scheme

The program saw the remaining fleet extend their service life by a further 10 years.

The Official Retirement celebrations

With such a long and distinguished career in the Polish Air Force, it was not surprising that the retirement of this iconic aircraft would be celebrated. The responsibility for organising the farewell fell to 21st Tactical Air Base Świdwin, the final operational Su-22 unit and part of the 1st Tactical Air Wing. Although by the time of the retirement event the Su-22 had found its final home at Mirosławiec rather than Świdwin itself, with Świdwin preparing for the arrival of the F-35. Fortunately the event went ahead as planned despite concerns earlier that morning when reports emerged of Russian drone incursions in Eastern Europe. Many attendees feared the celebrations might be cancelled, but the proceedings continued without disruption.  

Prior to the official retirement event, Su‑22UM3K twin‑seat trainer, serial 809 had already been painted in a ’50/50′ special scheme. This livery represented the two distinct paint schemes worn by the aircraft throughout its service life and marked 40 years of Su-22 operations in Poland. For the final retirement event, another Su-22UM3K (serial 308) received a special red-and-white tail design in the colours of the Polish flag marking the retirement and the conclusion of 41 years of operations.

The celebrations to mark the official retirement were split across two days, the 10th and 11th of September 2025. The first was the public day of the two with approximately 300 media and aviation enthusiasts invited onto Mirosławiec Górny for a final encounter with the type. Upon arriving at a location by bus which was situated on the main ramp, it was clear a lot of effort had been put in in making the celebrations a success. Two static aircraft were parked and available to be photographed, one, serial 3304 had a full array of munitions and weaponry displayed in front of the jet. The other, serial 8309 was ‘clean’ and later opened up to allow people to climb the ladder and sit inside the cockpit.

The 10th of September also saw the Su-22 and 21st Tactical Air Base Świdwin say goodbye to a number of key locations associated with the aircrafts operational history and was meant to cover “all garrisons” (air bases) that historically operated Su‑22s in Poland. This was marked with a flypast of three Su‑22UM3K twin‑seat trainers all wearing special paint schemes, two of which already mentioned and the third being the venerable NATO Tiger meet jet, serial 707 painted for the 2005 NATO tiger meet but still wearing its special markings! All 3 aircraft departed together as callsigns ‘FITTER01′ FITTER02’ and ‘FITTER03’ at approximately 11am. The route began with the aircraft flying over Powidz where the first aircraft was delivered. They then carried onto Piła, another garrison that has played host to Su-22 operations, although no longer active. The final location was Świdwin itself which is closed due to the aforementioned F-35 infrastructure building works taking place but is the last permanent home of the Fitter in Polish service with the 21st Tactical Air Base. The aircraft then rejointed the overhead at Mirosławiec Górny where a series of flypasts were conducted before breaking into the circuit to land. Following the flight the aircrew assembled for gathered media for a photograph capturing their participation in the celebrations before returning to the operations building.

Another Su22 undertook an active mission during the event. Aircraft serial 3201 departed to conduct a reconnaissance mission using the externally mounted KKR‑1 reconnaissance pod on the lower fuselage. A further two sorties were flown in the afternoon. The ’50/50′ 40 year special performed a local flight shortly followed by the NATO tiger special. The latter conducted a sortie over the base with the aircraft performing a number of flypasts and manoeuvres. This aircraft was piloted by Colonel Roman Stefaniak, commander of 21 BLT (21st Tactical Air Base), Świdwin and former Su-22 display pilot. Whilst later conducting media interviews, it was clear the commander was emotional about the farewell stating

I will say goodbye to this aircraft with great regret, because in my case, I started my professional service on this aircraft as an officer at Piła. He has become my steel friend, he’s in my arms and he’s with me everywhere. I also have a tattoo denoting him. I will always be with him, a big part of my life

It was evident to all the gathered media just how much this aircraft meant to the aircrew that flew it. Once ‘707’ landed this concluded the flying operations for the day. There were however two further Su‑22M4 single seater aircraft towed out to the flight line, serials 3715 and 3816. Sadly these didn’t take to the skies, instead being prepared for the military parade happening the following day.

The second day of events marked the official military ceremony formally retiring the Su-22 from Polish Air Force service. Although AeroResource was not present, it is understood that the occasion took the form of a formal military parade, featuring flypasts for senior military officials and key personnel associated with Su-22 operations. The event was held behind closed doors, away from public view. Despite the symbolic nature of the ceremony, it is expected that the remaining active Su-22 fleet will conduct limited operations to fly up until approximately the end of October, marking the final chapter in the type’s distinguished service with Poland. 

So what does the future hold for both the Polish Air Force and the Su-22 Fitter? In truth their future paths could not be more different. Its evident that the Polish Air Force is clearly focused on modernizing and strengthening its capabilities. As Colonel Roman Stefaniak, commander of the 21st Tactical Air Base (21 BLT), explained: 

Simply as something ends, something begins. We have received a great opportunity — we are the beneficiaries of the Lockheed Martin F-35 and KAI FA-50 programs. A new era with new challenges and new opportunities. So it’s easier to say goodbye to [the Su-22] because we know there’s continuity — the aircrew, ground crew, soldiers, and staff will all have work, and the base is developing through large-scale construction. Everything is moving forward; there’s optimism

His words reflect the broader sentiment within the Polish Air Force: despite growing regional tensions and continued Russian aggression, Poland is actively modernizing its air power and infrastructure to meet future challenges with confidence and optimism. 

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the Su-22 itself. Its operational days are largely over. Only a few nations — Angola, Libya, and Vietnam — are still believed to operate small numbers of airworthy Su-22s. The status of fleets in Syria, Iran, and Yemen remains uncertain, and given recent conflicts, including Israeli airstrikes and ongoing regional instability, it is highly doubtful that many of their aircraft remain in active service. 

AeroResource would like to thank the Polish Air Force media team for their hospitality and for hosting the farewell event. Thanks must also go to Duc Thinh for providing the exceptional images of the Vietnamese Air Force Su-22’s.

You can find out more news within the Polish armed forces here ; News – Ministry of National Defence – Gov.pl website

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