Błaszczak’s words came during a presentation of the Polish air force’s new FA-50 light combat planes bought from South Korea, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
The defence minister showcased the FA-50 “Fighting Eagle” light combat aircraft at an air base in the eastern town of Mińsk Mazowiecki.
He told reporters that the Polish air force had already received two FA-50s, with a further 10 scheduled to arrive by the end of the year.
Błaszczak said: “We are consistently expanding the potential of the Polish air force.”
He praised the FA-50s, saying they were “several times better than the best post-Soviet aircraft.”
He added that the government was replacing Soviet-era military planes with Western-made equipment, including the South Korean FA-50s, “at record speed.”
FA-50 light combat plane
The FA-50 “Fighting Eagle” is a two-person light combat aircraft produced by South Korea’s Korea Aerospace Industries.
The FA-50 can fly up to 1,800 kilometres at a maximum altitude of 14.6 kilometres, with a top speed of 1,837.5 kph (Mach 1.5), the PAP news agency reported.
Its main weapon is the internal, three-barrel 20mm Gatling gun, supplemented with a range of air munitions, including the AIM-9 Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missiles, AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground tactical missiles (AGM) and various air bombs, according to Air Force Technology.
In September last year, Poland contracted Korea Aerospace Industries to deliver 48 FA-50s to replace the ageing MiG-29 aircraft in the Polish air force, the website noted.
Meanwhile, the Polish defence ministry on Monday announced that the FA-50s would be put on public display at an air show in the central city of Radom later this month.
The Radom air show returns after a five-year hiatus on the weekend of August 26-27, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.
Monday is day 544 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, Air Force Technology