President Donald Trump welcomed Polish President Karol Nawrocki to the White House on Wednesday with a military flyover honoring a Polish fighter pilot killed during an airshow rehearsal earlier this year, as reported by Fox News.
Eight U.S. fighter jets took part in the tribute. Four F-16s conducted a “missing man formation” in honor of the Polish Air Force pilot who died in an August crash while preparing for the Radom Air Show.
Four F-35s also joined the display, highlighting the military partnership between the United States and Poland.
“President Trump is looking forward to welcoming President Nawrocki to the White House, who recently won a historic election in Poland,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said Tuesday in a statement.
She added that the flyover was to “honor the memory of a brave Polish fighter pilot whose life was tragically taken too soon and capture the special relationship between our two countries.”
All participating aircraft was flown by American crews. The F-16s are from the D.C. Air National Guard at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, and the F-35s are from Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida.
A missing man formation traditionally symbolizes respect for a fallen service member when one aircraft breaks away from the group during a flyover.
WATCH: President Trump honored the memory of a fallen Polish fighter pilot with a powerful F-16 and F-35 flyover. 🇺🇸🇵🇱pic.twitter.com/Rhds5vA9Xv
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) September 3, 2025
The flyover also underscores U.S.-Polish defense ties. The State Department in August approved a potential $1.85 billion sale of sustainment equipment for Poland’s fleet of F-35 jets.
Earlier this year, the U.S. began training Polish aviators on the F-35 at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas.
This is not the first time a Polish president’s visit to the White House has been marked by an aerial salute. In 2019, during Trump’s first term, a flyover was conducted when then-Polish President Andrzej Duda visited Washington.
Nawrocki’s trip comes as Russia intensifies attacks in Ukraine, even after Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, in August in an effort to advance peace talks.
Trump said at the time he had hoped for a trilateral meeting including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but Moscow has resisted.
On Tuesday, Trump warned of consequences if Putin refuses to engage directly with Ukraine. “We’re going to see what happens,” Trump told reporters. “We’re going to see what they do and what happens. I’m watching it very closely … I want to see it end.”
