Poland to order four AW101 Merlins to replace Soviet-era Mi-14 helicopters

On April 8, the Polish Ministry of National Defence signed a package of offset agreements worth 395 million zlotys ($104 million) with the Italian aerospace company Leonardo, which preceded to the signature of the to purchase four Leonardo Helicopters AW101 Merlin helicopters for the Polish Navy to use as Combat search and rescue (CSAR).

The contract for the purchase of four heavy CSAR helicopters must be signed later in April.

The Polish Navy planned to acquire eight prospective coast-based anti-submarine and search-and-rescue helicopters to replace the 10 ageing Soviet-era Mi-14 helicopters currently in operation in naval aviation (eight Mi-14PLMKs and two search and rescue Mi-14PL / R) 14PL). However, in 2018, for financial reasons, the Ministry of National Defense of Poland reduced the number of naval helicopters planned for acquisition to four, postponing the purchase of another four for an uncertain future.

– ADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW –

The cost of the contract for the purchase of four AW101, according to Polish media reports, will be about 90 million euros.

The contract valued for the purchase of four AW101, according to Polish media reports, will be about 90 million euros.

   

The package of offset agreements signed on April 8 includes nine commitments, the main of which is the planned creation of a licensed AW101 helicopter maintenance and repair center jointly with Leonardo on the basis of the Polish aircraft repair plant Wojskowe Zakłady Lotnicze Nr 1 S.A. (WZL-1) in Lodz. Léonardo also pledged to provide technical support for the operation of the acquired helicopters for 10 years.

According to Leonardo, AW101 is the most advanced, versatile and capable multi-role helicopter available today. As an evolution of the highly successful EH101 the AW101 delivers new capabilities, whilst building on customer operational experience gained in the Deep Water, Littoral and Land environments.

Designed for operations in the harshest climatic conditions the helicopter has proven itself in a wide range of operational theatres around the world.

With a common platform at its heart, AW101 provides customers with the capability to configure the helicopter for a wide range of primary and secondary roles with many configurations achieved through the use of modular role equipment.

Dylan Malyasov

Defense journalist and commentator. Aviation photographer. Dylan leads Defence Blog’s coverage of global military news, focusing on engineering and technology across the U.S. defense industry.

Related Posts

Understanding the WWII ɩeɡасу of the Soviet K-7 Heavy ЬomЬeг

The Soviet Heavy ЬomЬeг K-7 was a remarkable aircraft built in Russia during the 1930s. It was designed Ƅy Konstantin Kalinin, an amƄitious engineer and aircraft designer,…

Russia’s New PAK DA Stealth ЬomЬeг Will Have Hypersonic weарoпѕ Mounted on It

Last month, the United States Air foгсe released a new artist rendering of its still-in-development B-21 Raider. The latest images of the heavy ЬomЬeг саme after it was announced in June that…

To allow the enormous A400M to launch vertically, Airbus made a $1 billion investment.

The A400 was never intended for verticle capability. It was designed to have short field takeoff and landing. It is a very capable aircraft. JATO has not…

The Gatling ɡᴜп on the MiG-27’s jаw-dropping рoweг аɡаіпѕt eпemу aircraft

The two-meter long cannon generated a remarkable 6 tons of recoil, causing vibrations ѕtгoпɡ enough to сгасk fuel tanks, dаmаɡe avionics systems, and consistently dіѕɩodɡe landing lights…

For MQ-9 training, ASTi will provide 27 Simulated Environments for Realistic ATC (SERA).

ASTi ??c?ntl? ??c?iv?? ? c?nt??ct ?w??? ???m SAIC ??? 27 inst?nc?s ?? its in??st??-l???in? Sim?l?t?? Envi??nm?nt ??? R??listic ATC (SERA) ?????ct. In ? n?ts??ll, SERA ???vi??s ??t?m?t??,…

The F-15 Eagle: The Best fіɡһteг in History: Unveiling Its ѕᴜргemасу

The McDoппell Doυglas F-15 Eagle staпds as a twiп-eпgiпe fіɡһteг aircraft that has faithfυlly served the US Air foгсe for пυmeroυs decades. Siпce its iпtrodυctioп iп 1976,…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *