The helicopter was handed over to a squadron of the 25th Air Cavalry Brigade at a ceremony at the military airfield in Nowy Glinnik, central Poland. It is the 11th AW-149 in service and the first of 22 to be produced in Poland; the initial 10 were supplied from Italy.
“AW-149 is a very good multirole helicopter, produced in cooperation with our Italian allies here in Poland,” Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said. He added that the aircraft can perform battlefield support, casualty evacuation, assault and transport missions, day and night.
He said the helicopter is fitted with modern observation and communications systems, guided and unguided rockets, machine guns on both sides and weapons that can be used to shoot down drones.
The PLN 8.25 billion (EUR 1.95 billion) contract for 32 AW-149 helicopters for the Polish armed forces was signed on July 1, 2022. A key element was the creation and launch of a production line at PZL-Świdnik, part of Italy’s Leonardo group.
Kosiniak-Kamysz said the program shows the need for continuity in military modernization, noting that orders placed now will be fulfilled over several years and “what is good should be continued and modified, but not overturned.”
PZL-Świdnik President Bartosz Śliwa said the first helicopter for the 25th Air Cavalry Brigade was delivered 15 months after the contract was signed and that full production capability in Poland was reached after 20 months.
“We have created a full technological chain for helicopter production and testing,” he said, adding that the company has created new jobs, sent workers for long-term training to a Leonardo plant in Italy and expanded cooperation with Polish suppliers.
Deliveries are planned for 2023-2029. So far, 11 AW-149s have been handed over to the 7th Aviation Squadron of the 25th Air Cavalry Brigade, which is expected to have 14 helicopters by the end of this year.
The AW-149 is a military multirole helicopter that can be used for transport, close air support, combat and maritime search and rescue and as an airborne command post. Under the contract, its configuration for Poland includes observation systems, small arms, guided and unguided rockets and self-defense systems.
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Source: PAP