Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz called inflight refueling a “key capability” for the air force. The government has authorized him to file the request, which the European Commission has informally reviewed.
SAFE provides EUR 150 billion in low-interest loans to expand EU defense capacity. Poland is allocated EUR 43.7 billion. Projects must have no more than 35% non-EU components, effectively pointing to the Airbus A330 MRTT for tanker/transport needs.
Retired air force major Michał Fiszer said tankers are needed “now” given Russian drone activity, noting a fighter can refuel in 10–15 minutes in the air versus roughly 40 minutes on the ground. During the Sept. 9–10 drone attack, NATO’s A330 tanker supported Polish crews.
Maj. Gen. Ireneusz Nowak has said a tanker can roughly halve aircraft and pilot requirements to maintain a 12-hour combat air patrol. Past Polish efforts to acquire tankers began in 2008 but were shelved amid budget cuts; a multinational approach launched in 2014 was dropped in 2016.
Analyst Jakub Palowski said a joint A330 MRTT purchase has strong prospects, given widespread EU use and the Commission’s preference for collective buys.
The detailed Polish SAFE list is classified, but officials said it includes drones, counter-drone defenses, the Eastern Shield, the Safe Baltic seabed-infrastructure project, and air-to-air refueling. Loan repayment runs to 2070, with principal due starting in 10 years.
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Source: PAP