Poland has signed a $3.8 billion agreement to modernize its existing fleet of F-16 fighter jets to better deter potential Russian aggression. This is reported by UNN with reference to Bloomberg.
Details
Under the agreement signed on Wednesday with the US, Poland’s current fleet of 48 US-made military aircraft will undergo significant modernization to improve their interoperability with NATO, explained Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
We are taking a step forward. We will be spending more and more over the next decades
– he said during his stay in the northwestern Polish city of Bydgoszcz.
Poland, a member of the Alliance’s advanced eastern flank, borders Russia and Moscow’s ally Belarus. After Russian President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Poland launched a rearmament campaign that made it one of the largest NATO states, spending almost 5% of its economic output on defense.
In recent years, the country has made significant purchases of military equipment from the US and South Korea. In 2020, Poland ordered 32 F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin Corp under a $4.6 billion contract to replace old Soviet-era equipment. Deliveries of the stealth fighters will begin in 2026 and will be completed four years later.
Poland also plans to acquire submarines and has already ordered the construction of three frigates to better protect its maritime interests.
Addition
The Netherlands sent the last promised F-16 fighter jet to Ukraine. Ukrainian pilots are undergoing training in Romania, where the Netherlands transferred 18 aircraft.