Frag Out! Magazine

lities alive. Breakthrough decisions were made a year ago, at a scale that could be vie- wed as a good thing, but also that cre- ated a lot of controversy. In July 2022, formally, an agreement was signed envisaging procurement of 32 AW149 helicopters. These would be received by the 25th Air Cavalry Brigade. Consi- dering their performance specs, with an MTOW of 8 tonnes, and the ability to transport an infantry squad, the AW149 may be viewed as a W-3 repla- cement. It was mentioned as well that these would be armed with AGM-114 Hellfire ATGMs, hence they would be able to carry out CAS sorties. During the very same year, Poland also submitted a formal request to the USA, regarding procurement of 96 AH-64E attack helicopters. Back then it was clear that two offers of US ori- gin would compete here - AH-1Z and AH-64E - the number of aircraft the Polish MoD intended to procure was a surprise. In 2023 approval from the US government was granted, regar- ding that procurement, and apart from the helicopters, the approval also co- vers the Longbow radars, AGM-114 Hellfire, and AGM-179 JAGM ATGMs. However, one should know that 96 is the maximum number, no agreement has been signed as of yet, and the ear- lier declarations had mentioned a pro- curement of 32 aircraft. What remains certain is the fact that Poland would receive 8 AH-64 heli- copters in 2024, coming from the US Army stock - for the sake of training. That procurement is complemented by further acquisitions and intended procurements, regarding the helicop- ters - all disclosed this year. In July a request was made for procurement of S70i helicopters, in a number that was not specified, but the rumor is that 32 aircraft are being considered. It is unclear whether these would be assi- gned to the Air Cavalry, the 1st Army Aviation Brigade, SOF, or other units. Finally, the last decision pertains to the start of negotiation regarding the acquisition of further AW101s. This time, we know that the acquisition of 22 aircraft in a transport variant is planned to be procured for the 25th Air Cavalry Brigade. If this agreement is concluded, that would mean that in a few years (let's hope that would hap- pen before 2030), the Mi-8s (which are 40-50 years old) would finally be repla- ced. This would also mean that the 25th Brigade's inventory situation would be the most certain one. 32 AW149s replacing the Sokół platform, along with 22 heavy AW101s replacing the Mi-8/17 fleet would allow this unit to retain the ability to keep both of its air squadrons alive. And this is the pri- mary benefit, stemming from this pro- curement. New helicopters will finally emerge (assuming that the AW101 agreement is concluded). The pro- blem here stems from the fact, that the procurement was not taking place as a competitive process. One, funda- mental question emerges: why was the AW101 selected (with its exceptio- nal 3-engine design), instead of other aircraft? For the sake of comparison, it needs to be noted that many NATO armies, the US Army included, ope- rate the CH-47 Chinook in the heavy airlift role, offering even greater trans- port capability than the AW101 does. Another doubt may emerge when it comes to LCC. In the UK the land-ba- sed AW101s were handed over by the RAF to the Navy. Then, the RAF de- cided to replace these with Chinooks. Finally, the adopted formula, despite being rapid, places Poland in a very specific place to negotiate. Instead of formulating the requirements, with the bidders trying to meet them, only a www.fragoutmag.com

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