F-16C/D Block 52+ Multirole Fighter Acquisition Programme (Jastrząb / Peace Sky)
The 'Jastrząb' programme (the US Foreign Military Sales programme 'Peace Sky') was Poland's largest arms contract after 1989: the acquisition of 48 F-16C/D Block 52+ multirole combat aircraft (36 single-seat F-16C and 12 two-seat F-16D). A package of agreements worth approximately USD 3.5 billion was signed on 18 April 2003 in Dęblin under the FMS procedure; the contract comprised agreements on the delivery of the aircraft, on financing the purchase, on a credit facility granted by the US government, and on offset (a compensation agreement worth approximately USD 6 billion). The winner of the tender for a multirole combat aircraft for the Polish Armed Forces was announced by the Minister of National Defence on 27 December 2002. The first four aircraft were formally handed over to the Air Force on 11 November 2006, and the last three were delivered on 12 December 2008; the aircraft are stationed at the 31st Air Base at Poznań-Krzesiny airfield and the 32nd Air Base in Łask. In accordance with the project's rule for defence programmes dominated by arms purchases abroad, the record serves the function of strategic visibility for the combat aviation pillar, and its cost (approximately USD 3.5 billion) is recorded as Polish defence spending (spend_only), included in the 'total spending' aggregate, but outside the value of assets created in Poland (there being no isolable domestic capital outlay).
How it went
This record carries no outcome assessment on any of the four axes yet. The timeline and sources below show what is known about it; the assessment itself has not been made.
Timeline
- Announced27 Dec 2002
- Construction start18 Apr 2003
- Delivery2008
Change history
- 11 Nov 2006stage: operational
- 27 Dec 2002stage: announced
Significance
The acquisition of the F-16C/D Block 52+ aircraft was Poland's largest arms contract after 1989 and a breakthrough in the modernisation of the Air Force, as it brought into service a modern, multirole combat aircraft compliant with NATO standards. The programme covered the delivery of 48 aircraft, as well as financing of the purchase through a US government credit facility, the training of pilots and personnel, and the modernisation of the Krzesiny and Łask air bases to allied standards. Two decades on, the F-16 'Jastrząb' remains the backbone of Poland's combat aviation and air defence.
Sources 6 · 5 independent · 4 archived
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- Portal MilitarnyStatusConstruction startDeliveryCost
StatusCztery pierwsze egzemplarze zostały uroczyście przekazane Siłom Powietrznym 11 listopada 2006 roku. Trzy ostatnie dostarczono 12 grudnia 2008 roku.
Construction start · CostUmowa o wartości 3,5 mld USD na zakup przez Polskę samolotów F-16 w ramach procedury FMS została podpisana 18 kwietnia 2003 roku
DeliveryTrzy ostatnie dostarczono 12 grudnia 2008 roku.
- Lockheed Martin2026Stage
StageFlown by Polish pilots and supported by Polish ground crews, the F-16 safeguards the nation's skies
- ZBiAMAnnouncedInvestor
Announced · Investor27 grudnia 2002 r. minister obrony narodowej Jerzy Szmajdziński oznajmił, że zwycięzcą w przetargu na wielozadaniowy samolot bojowy dla Sił Zbrojnych RP została Defence Security Corporation Agency
- Lockheed Martin Poland
- Funding
FundingRząd USA gotów jest pożyczyć Polsce 3,8 miliarda dolarów na zakup myśliwca F-16.
- Funding
FundingWydatki części budżetu 29 „obrona narodowa” wyniosą natomiast 38,09 mld zł, włącznie z środkami przeznaczonymi na spłaty za myśliwce F-16.