The US Department of State approved the sale of 32 F-35 military aircraft to Poland. According to the Agency for Security and Defense Cooperation, the deal will amount to $ 6.5 billion. The agency also specified that the number of fighters and the total cost may still change during further negotiations.
“The proposed sale of the F-35 will give Poland a significant defense potential to repel aggression in the region and ensure the principle of interoperability with the US armed forces,” the agency’s official website says.
The text also notes that the deal "will enhance the security of the NATO ally, which is an important force for political stability and economic prosperity in Europe." Moreover, according to the Agency for Cooperation in the Field of Security and Defense, the sale of aircraft and support systems to Poland "will not lead to a change in the military balance in the region."
- Airplanes MiG-29 Polish Air Force.
- Reuters
- © Peter Andrews
Fifth generation F-35 fighter-bombers will have to replace Soviet-made Mig-29 and Su-22 aircraft in Poland.
"The dream of American strategists"
In an interview with RT, an expert at the International Institute for Humanitarian and Political Studies, Vladimir Bruter, explained that the approved deal for the Pentagon is not only a lucrative contract, but also a strategic move aimed at setting Warsaw against Russia.
“Poland versus Russia is a dream of American strategists and they consistently embody it. The delivery of American aircraft is a strategic action, not a military one. It is clear that Washington does not mean a direct military conflict. But this is an action of strategic planning and the Americans consider it profitable and correct, ”said Bruter.
At the same time, Poland itself is ready to cooperate with the United States, experts say.
“The USA has favorites and those states whose leaders are trying to play along with the Americans. The first among these are, of course, the Polish leaders, ”RT military expert and retired colonel Viktor Litovkin told RT.
In September, it also became known that Washington and Warsaw had agreed on the distribution of additional US troops in Poland. Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said six locations have been agreed to by the United States. This means that to 5 thousand American soldiers who are in Poland on a rotational basis, at least 1 thousand more soldiers will be added.
Litovkin points out that such cooperation allows the United States to “push its military equipment onto the European continent.” So, in addition to F-35 fighters, Warsaw expects to purchase the FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank missile systems from the Americans, as well as five S-130H Hercules transport planes - such requests were sent by the Polish leadership to the US Department of Defense’s Defense Cooperation Agency in early September.
Security Challenge
Russian experts agree with the US military’s assessment that the deal between the US and Poland will not change the military balance in the region. This opinion is shared by the editor-in-chief of the National Defense magazine Igor Korotchenko. But at the same time, he notes that the supply of weapons to the borders of Russia will increase the degree of tension.
“The F-35 is a fifth-generation fighter, and it is a carrier of nuclear weapons. The United States has tactical nuclear bombs in Europe. Actually F-35 - those fighters that will use them in the event of a real war. For us, this is not a threat, but a security challenge. Such actions by the United States will require a concentration of serious efforts to neutralize such threats, ”he explained to RT.
The expert also assured that Russia has the means to counter new threats.
“Our systems of complexes see victorious goals. Of course, we expect that it will not come to this. But, nonetheless, we must fend off threats, ”he concluded.