Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1536266
It seems increasingly likely that 2025 will be the year in which the Polish Air Force retires all ex-USSR aircraft. While the fate of the few remaining MiG-29 Fulcrums is still undecided, it is officially confirmed that the Su-22M4/ UM3K will definitely be withdrawn from service. One element of the preparations for retiring the Su‑22M4/ UM3K fighter‑ground‑attack jets was a photoshoot in April 2025. According to the Polish Air Force, their last public appearance will be at the Radom International Air Show 2025 this August. After their withdrawal, only a handful of MiG‑29s will remain in service, though, due to geopolitical factors, they may soon be transferred to Ukraine. The acquisition of the Su‑22 fighter‑ground‑attack aircraft was the last major equipment‑modernization program of Polish military aviation during the Communist era. It was driven by the need to replace the utterly obsolete Lim‑6bis, SBlim‑2Art, Su‑7 and MiG‑21R aircraft. It was also intended that the new jets would replace Lim‑6bis in the Navy's aviation branch (7th Fighter‑Attack Aviation Regiment in Siemirowice). The initial plan called for 96 Su‑22s (80 Su‑22M3 and 16 two‑seat Su‑22UM3) to re‑equip two attack regiments (the 6th in Piła and the 40th in Świdwin), plus two squadrons within the naval regiment in Siemirowice. A second phase envisaged another 36 aircraft ‑ 30 Su‑22M3 combat and 6 Su‑22UM3 combat‑trainers, enough to re‑equip the 8th Fighter‑Bomber Regiment in Mirosławiec. Poland also ordered a small batch of MiG‑23 fighters (42 units, delivered to the 28th Fighter Regiment in Słupsk between 1979 and 1982) and prepared AVIATION