Poland will sign a contract for the purchase of American F-35 fighter-bombers by the end of January. This was stated by Minister of Defense Mariusz Blaschak.

“We, in principle, have already completed negotiations, only minor procedural issues remained. I am convinced that this month, in January, we will sign an agreement with the United States on the purchase of 32 F-35 aircraft, ”Blaschak quotes RIA Novosti.

The minister also called these aircraft "the most modern aircraft in the world."

As noted by Polish Radio, this deal may be the most expensive in the history of the country. Last fall, the US State Department approved the sale of 32 F-35 aircraft to Warsaw. The amount of the contract was estimated at $ 6.5 billion. The American Agency for Cooperation in the Field of Security and Defense explained then that the deal would allow Poland to gain "potential to repel aggression in the region."

It is assumed that the latest American aircraft should be replaced by the Polish Air Force Mig-29 and Su-22, produced back in Soviet times. In addition, the U.S. F-16 is also in service with the Polish Air Force.

  • Aircraft F-35
  • © Lockheed Martin

Airplane problem

F-35 fighters are often criticized in the expert community for their high cost, software problems and the high cost of maintenance.

In November last year, the U.S. Accounts Chamber noted that due to the lack of spare parts between May and November 2018, 30% of the time the F-35 U.S. Air Force was unable to fly. Serious problems were noticed in the operation of the ALIS complex (Autonomic Logistics Information System), with the help of which the process of updating the software and downloading new data to the F-35 on-board computers is carried out, as well as to track the wear of various components and order spare parts.

On January 15, the Pentagon announced that ALIS will replace the new ODIN (Operational Data Integrated Network) system, developed, like the previous one, by Lockheed Martin. However, they will put it on airplanes only by the end of 2022.

To support the operability of the F-35 fleet in 2020, the US Department of Defense will allocate $ 1.9 billion.

“Of course, F-35s are redundant for Poland. There are questions about the F-35 itself. Their effectiveness is in question. In this case, this is a political step, ”said political analyst Alexander Asafov in an interview with RT. “Even if, in order to prove the loyalty of NATO and the United States, it will be necessary to buy wooden planes that cannot fly into the air, the current Polish leadership will do this.”

Replace Russian

In November 2019, the Polish Air Force announced that they were returning to operation of the old MiG-29. The use of these aircraft was discontinued in March 2019 amid reports of an upcoming purchase of the F-35. Formally, the plane was stopped using due to insecurity and several plane crashes. However, by the end of the year, the authorities' opinion changed. Polish Air Force Inspector Jacek Pszola even stated that the pilots were pleased to receive the news about the return of the MiG-29 to service.

Despite this, Warsaw remained committed to the idea of ​​switching to American aircraft. This, in particular, was stated by the chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, General Raimund Andreichak in an interview with the defense publication Defense News.

“We really want to abandon all the old Russian aircraft, such as the MiG-29 and Su-22,” the Polish general emphasized.

  • Raimund Andreichak
  • globallookpress.com
  • © US Joint Staff

The acquisition of the F-35 is part of a large-scale modernization program for the Polish armed forces. $ 48.9 billion was allocated for these purposes until 2026. Also, according to Raimund Andrejczak, Poland is interested in buying C-130 transport aircraft, as well as Javelin anti-tank systems. The need to acquire the latter in Warsaw is linked to the notorious “Russian threat”.

The chief of the general staff of the Polish armed forces also noted that Warsaw seeks to minimize the need for supplies of spare parts for Soviet military equipment from Russia. At the same time, according to him, a certain amount of Soviet weapons in the near future will remain in service with the Polish army, for example, T-72 tanks.

"In the wake of the USA"

The contract for the purchase of the F-35 is not the first major purchase by Warsaw of American weapons. In 2018, she signed a deal to supply Patriot air defense systems in the amount of $ 4.75 billion.

The first complexes, according to the Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Moravecki, Warsaw should receive in 2022. Another major contract was concluded in 2019. The Poles will pay $ 414 million to the Americans for 20 HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems.

In addition to purchasing American weapons, Poland is demonstrating to the United States that it is interested in expanding the US military contingent stationed on its territory. Polish politicians even expressed their readiness to allocate $ 2 billion for the construction of a permanent American base. Last year, US President Donald Trump announced his intention to increase the American contingent located in Poland.

“Poland is walking in the wake of the United States, being a model of obedience to other NATO countries,” said Alexei Leonkov, editor of Arsenal of the Fatherland, in an interview with RT. “It was she who was chosen by the Americans as an outpost of NATO on the eastern border with Russia.”

  • US soldier inspects Patriot complex in Poland
  • © REUTERS / Franciszek Mazur / Agencja Gazeta

At the same time, the expert emphasized that, although the F-35 is capable of carrying tactical nuclear weapons, Russia’s arming of the fifth generation American planes is not a serious problem for Russia.

“Everything is already protected with us. Our air defense systems see their invisible aircraft. And since we see them, then in case of aggressive actions of the enemy the answer will be given, ”Leonkov summed up.