The program aimed at the procurement of the new fighters
was present in the planning records as an "analytical-
conceptual phase" regarding the Harpia MRCA. Considering
the fact that the analytical-conceptual phase can be viewed
as a "freezer" for many programs, it could be assumed that
the Harpia program status and the assets remaining at
disposal of the Polish Air Force would remain at the very
same, unchanged level. The situation evolved rapidly, once
a series of accidents and disasters took place, involving the
Polish Fulcrum fleet. Let us recall, four jets have been lost
since 2016. The first one caught fire during an engine test,
another three were involved in air crashes, with one of the
pilots dying tragically.
In November 2018, before the third crash took place, the
Harpia program (still in the analytical/conceptual phase)
was significantly accelerated after a relevant decision was
made by Mariusz Błaszczak, head of the MoD. In March 2019,
the Armament Inspectorate submitted a request to the US
Department of Defence to provide information on the current
price and availability of the F-35. After the reply was received
the MoD sent a Letter of Request to the United States on 28th
AVIATION
