March 2, 1998 (by Lieven Dewitte) -
Poland's defense and industry ministers teamed up on Tuesday to seek double the funds now proposed by the finance ministry for long-term modernization of the armed forces and for buying multi-purpose fighter jets.
They also said in a joint statement, issued to parliament's defense committee, that Poland should quickly pick a foreign fighter to replace its Soviet-era aircraft and ensure the deal involved extensive contracts for its aerospace industry. A
Saab /British Aerospace Plc. consortium proposes its JAS 39 Grippen while U.S. giants Lockheed Martin Corp and McDonnell Douglas Corp, with theF16/C and F18 Hornet, and France's Dassault Aviation, with the Mirage2000-5, are in the race.
