Poland Looking For AWACS Procurement From Sweden
On the 22 May, Poland’s Prime Minister publicly stated that Poland is conducting advanced talks aiming to procure an Airborne Early Warning And Control System from Swedish partners. The subject of the negotiations is likely to be the Saab 340 AEW. The Polish Air Force does not currently operate any AWACS and has had no such capability in the past.
The procurement of the Swedish AWACS is part of a broader attempt at modernizing the Polish Air Force which also includes possible future procurement of air to air refuelling aircraft, F-16 Mid-Life Upgrade, and a general increase of combat capacity that will take place in the foreseeable future. Nonetheless, the experiences and analysis of the war in Ukraine have proven that an effective air force needs additional aerial control and command support, a factor that the Ukrainians lack in the current conflict. Thus the “little” AWACS speedy procurement is considered crucial.
According to the Armament Agency spokesperson, col. Krzysztof Platek, Poland is looking to procure two Saab 340 AEW aircraft to fill the gap. It remains to be seen how the future deliveries of the FA-50PL and F-35 will effect this. With the increasing number of advanced combat aircraft over Polish airspace the need for AWACs may also increase.
AWACS procurement adds to the latest purchases of the Polish Ministry of Defense in recent years. Back in 2019, the procurement process of the F-35 began while only last year Poland decided to obtain FA-50 Block 10/20 variant as a gap-filler of its decaying Su-22 and MiG-29 fleet.
Cover picture by Gnolam under CC BY-SA 3.0 License.