F-16 Fighting Falcon News

October 25, 1999 (by Lieven Dewitte) - Poland's planned purchase of some 60 modern fighter jets will be delayed by meager state finances, with the last aircraft not entering service for around 10 years.
Deputy defense minister Romuald Szeremietiew said the long-discussed program to upgrade Poland's aging fleet of Soviet-designed aircraft to the standards of NATO membership, which the country won earlier this year, will probably begin in about three years.

Poland has asked aircraft manufacturers to offer it more than a dozen jets on a leased basis, as a prelude to eventually buying equipment from the same provider. He told that it would be good to have the first 16 fighters in 2002 and that the whole batch of 60 jets should appear in 2008-2010.

The jet contract, which various government officials and analysts value at between $1.5 billion and $3 billion has attracted major Western defense companies. Boeing is offering its F/A-18 fighter, a consortium of British Aerospace and Sweden's Saab the Jas 39 Grippen, France's Dassault Aviation the Mirage 2000-5 and Lockheed Martin its F-16.

The purchase is pressing as Poland, with territory of 313, 000 square km (120, 900 sq mile) has only seven fighters that fully meet NATO standards. Most of the remaining 350 jets are obsolete and many are effectively useless.