Poland Signs $3.8 Billion Deal to Upgrade 48 F-16C/D Fighter Jets
Poland’s Ministry of National Defence has signed a $3.8 billion contract to upgrade its fleet of 48 F-16C/D Block 52+ fighter jets to the advanced F-16V configuration. Lockheed Martin will team up with Poland’s state-owned PGZ defense group and its Military Aviation Works No. 2 (WZL-2) facility in Bydgoszcz and will lead the program. Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz noted that the jets( delivered in 2006–08) remain “good” but have become, after 20 years, “insufficient to address the threats” without this upgrade.
Each F-16 will be equipped with a Northrop Grumman AN/APG-83 AESA radar that will significantly enhance its detection range and multi-target tracking capabilities. To improve situational awareness, Pilots will receive helmet-mounted cueing systems and an Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System. Airframes will be structurally reinforced to about 12,000 flight hours. The upgrade package will clear the jets for new precision weapons as Poland plans to integrate AGM-158 JASSM cruise missiles, GBU-39/B and GBU-53/B small-diameter bombs and AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder air-to-air missiles.
All work will be performed in Poland. The WZL-2 plant in Bydgoszcz will handle the overhauls under Lockheed Martin’s oversight. The initial aircraft is expected to enter the modernization cycle around 2028. The overhauled jets will return to service in phases from roughly 2030 through 2038. The contract includes new simulators, training systems and upgraded ground infrastructure to support the fleet. Poland is using U.S. Foreign Military Financing to help fund the deal. Poland aims to strengthen its defense industry and supply chains by undertaking domestic work. Lockheed says it will invest in local workforce development and technology transfer as part of the program.
Lockheed Martin notes that the Viper upgrades keep Poland’s F-16s inter-operable with fifth-generation fighters like the F-35. Kosiniak-Kamysz has stated that “Poland aims to be among the top three NATO countries in terms of operational capabilities, and this modernization is viewed as a crucial step toward achieving that goal”. The upgraded F-16s will rank among the most capable in Europe and will significantly enhance Poland’s deterrence on NATO’s eastern flank.