The agreement was signed by the heads of Polish company WZL Nr. 2 and the South Korean aircraft supplier and manufacturer Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI), in the presence of Polish and South Korean officials.
Deputy Minister Bejda said the signing of the agreement is the culmination of lengthy negotiations resulting in “Poland buying 48 FA-50 aircraft, 12 of which are already in Poland, at the base in Mińsk Mazowiecki.”
He added that the target is to have 36 such aircraft at the base. “I think that by the end of the year these FA-50 aircraft will be pulling up on combat duty,” he said, noting that pilot training is currently still underway.
According to Col. Tomasz Miedziński, a senior fellow at the Kazimierz Pułaski Institute, a defense and security think-tank, Poland requires 160 combat aircraft to “be self sufficient when it comes to air defense.”
From his point of view, Poland had to buy the FA-50 planes to replace aircraft given to Ukraine with “whatever was available at the time”. However, he notes that purchasing the FA-50s was “the only decision” at the time.
The FA-50 is a South Korean light twin-seat combat aircraft. Its primary armament is a 20mm cannon and various underslung weapons, including, for example, AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missiles, and several types of aerial bombs.
Polish Ariforce Lt. Col. Marcin Boruta, who spoke with TVP World’s Marek Steel-Zieliński, said the FA-50 are used in a Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) capacity, to defend Polish air borders.
The agreement between WZL Nr. 2 and KAI defines the areas of industrial cooperation on the FA-50 aircraft exploitation support program, particularly in the field of comprehensive logistical support, as well as maintenance, repair, overhaul and modernization of the FA-50.
Poland and South Korea established a strategic armaments partnership on July 27, 2022. Since then, as a result of framework agreements, Poland has ordered modern military equipment from Korean manufacturers, in addition to FA-50 aircraft, including K9 self-propelled howitzers and Chunmoo rocket launchers.
