Poland is finalizing an agreement with South Korea on the purchase of approximately 50 KAI FA-50 light fighters to replace the Polish Air Force’s Su-22 fleet.
The channel AviaNews quoted the words of Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Mariusz Blaszczak, “We are interested in purchasing three squadrons, which are 48 aircraft. The first aircraft should arrive in Poland next year. We are completing negotiations on this subject, we are close to completion.”
He noted that Poland intends to purchase various South Korean weapons, including 48 FA-50 fighters, in addition to 180 heavy K2 Black Panter tanks and more than 600 155mm K9 howitzers.
It is reported that Poland has long been trying to find a replacement for the outdated Su-22M4K and Su-22UM3K combat grenade launchers.
AviaNews writes: “It is surprising that the European M-346 light attack aircraft from Leonardo withdrew from combat, although the Polish Air Force operates a squadron of a training version of this aircraft. The choice of attack fighter KAI FA-50 is due to its similarity with the F- 16, which is currently the basis of the combat fleet of the Polish Air Force. This will provide the Poles with a certain unification of the fleet. In addition, the Lockheed Martin concern helped the development of the KAI fighter, which signed an agreement with KAI to promote the FA-50 fighter in the United States, Europe and Southeast Asia and Oceania.”
Earlier, Blaszczak said that the Polish authorities are striving to create the most powerful land army among NATO member states in order to be able to repel Russia.
Before that, it became known that Poland had bypassed the NATO plan to increase defense spending to 2% of GDP. According to the head of the country’s ruling Law and Justice party, Jaroslav Kaczynski, the state’s defense spending has reached 2.4% of GDP, but the authorities will not stop there.
