Maybe it's a helicopter breakthrough?
Mi-40D/V combat helicopters, which have been operating in Poland for more than 24 years, are still waiting for a decision on possible modernization or retrofitting. The main command of the armed forces maintains its position on the readiness to spend funds to extend the service life of currently operated vehicles, but the fatigue test project conducted by the Air Force Institute of Technology has not yet been completed.
February 8 this year. The meeting of the National Defense Committee of the Seimas of the Republic of Poland dealt with contracts related to the technical modernization of the Polish Armed Forces, implemented with the participation of foreign partners. The judge in the above case on behalf of the Ministry of National Defense was Secretary of State Marcin Osiepa, who in his speech made it clear that decisions on the Polish Army's helicopter fleet modernization programs can be expected in the near future.
Issues related to this, according to the former Deputy Minister of National Defense Bartosz Kownatsky of the "ten" (statement of March 2017), are becoming increasingly relevant. In a previous issue of WiT, issues related to the procurement of new helicopters for special forces were discussed, thanks to an order from December last year. will be replenished with four Lockheed Martin S-70i Black Hawk machines. The progress of the AW101 program for the Naval Aviation Brigade was also presented. This information reflected the state of affairs at the beginning of the year. In the second half of January, the Armaments Agency (AU) and the High Command of the Armed Forces (DGRSS), as part of the answers to questions asked by our editors, provided additional information related to the change of generations of the Polish Army helicopter, which should be analyzed in more detail. The crisis on the border with Belarus and rising tensions over the threat of Russian intervention in Ukraine, which could lead to the dismantling of the helicopter Gordian knot earlier than expected, also matter.
One of the two main competitors in the Kruk program is the Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian. Will the rotorcraft, which is also increasingly used in service with NATO countries, reach Poland? Perhaps the next few weeks will bring a solution.
Will the crow fly faster?
No decision has yet been made regarding the selection of successors to the Mi-24D/V combat helicopters that need urgent replacement, which has been known for about 20 years. On the one hand, the procedure for acquiring rotorcraft of this class is expected to be finalized, and on the other hand, the modernization or retrofitting of old, but still operating machines with a spare resource as an intermediate solution. During last year's MSPO, behind-the-scenes negotiations indicated that the moment of concluding a contract for the extension of the operation of the Mi-24D / V in combination with limited modernization was close, and the main beneficiary would be Wojskowe Zakłady Lotnicze Nr. 1 SA from Lodz, owned by Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa. Unfortunately, the program is being delayed - in January, the DGRSS, in response to questions from the editors, said that: DGRSS sees the need for modernization or retrofitting of Mi-24D/V helicopters. Currently, the analytical and conceptual phases are carried out by the Armaments Agency. Due to the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic, ITWL's Mi-24 airframe design fatigue tests are delayed, and their outcome determines the completion of the F-AK for the Mi-24 modernization by AU.
As a reminder, in the fall of 2019, the Air Force Institute of Technology ordered WSK PZL-Świdnik SA to test the fatigue of the Mi-24D helicopter structure (seized sample No. 272) for PLN 5,5 million net. The task was to be completed by the end of 2021, and an attempt to give an answer is whether it is possible to extend the technical life of the gliders to 5500 flight hours and 14 landings. The positive response was to open the way to modernize or retrofit at least some of the helicopters in service, which, thus, could become a transitional platform before the introduction of new Western-made rotorcraft. According to the editorial response, the Crook program is at the stage of contract qualification in terms of the presence of a basic national security interest (BSI) - this non-tender procedure will be associated with the selection of a foreign supplier. Currently, the favorites are American designs - Bell AH-000Z Viper and Boeing AH-1E Apache Guardian.
According to available information, based on statements by representatives of Bell Helicopter Textron, the manufacturer's proposal includes, among other things, the possibility of tightening industrial cooperation with Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa enterprises - among the options considered, the participation of Polish industry in the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) programs and Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA). In addition, based on the statements made public during the Dubai Airshow 2021, it cannot be ruled out that the “reward” could be the inclusion of Polish industry in the current production programs. The possible victory of Bell in the projects of the US Department of Defense (FLRAA and FARA) may lead to the search for alternative sites for the production of old helicopters. The main factories of the American manufacturer will be busy preparing for production, and then supplying a significant number of new generation machines. There are also speculations that part of the offer for Poland could be the transfer of Viper decommissioned by the US Marine Corps, or new, mothballed at the factory, which were not delivered to Pakistan.
In turn, Boeing is promoting a standard solution for NATO countries, i.e. AH-64E Apache Guardian already ordered by the UK and the Netherlands. It is also possible to purchase such machines from Germany and Greece. The AH-64E v.6 variant is currently in production. In addition to the all-new rotorcraft, the Boeing plant in Mesa, Arizona, is also being rebuilt to the new AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter standard. However, this option is not possible in Poland. This is due to the lack of a sufficient number of AH-64Ds on the market, which could possibly be transferred or sold to Poland by the US federal administration, provided they were converted to the AH-64E v.6 standard. .
One of the largest aerospace corporations in the world is also interested in strengthening industrial cooperation with the Polish defense and aviation sectors. It is unofficially reported that for some time an unnamed company from our country was included in the program for the production of the F-15 Advanced Eagle multi-purpose combat aircraft as a component supplier. Given that in addition to military products, Boeing is also a leading manufacturer of civil aircraft, with a long history of cooperation, including with LOT Polish Airlines, the prospects for cooperation seem promising, including in the area of financial rewards. As you know, at present one of the problems on the Boeing-LOT Polish Airlines line is the issue of compensation for the suspension of the fleet of Boeing 737 Max 8 passenger aircraft. the issue of the PLL LOT compensation dispute.
In addition to the competition between the two American manufacturers, an important aspect of the Kruk program is the choice of targeted anti-tank rotorcraft weapons. It would seem that Poland will decide to purchase rotorcraft under the Foreign Military Sales procedure, which includes the purchase of anti-tank guided missiles. The current standard purchase for the AH-64E is the Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire missile order. However, the long absence of decisions on the choice of the type of helicopter meant that changes could occur in the case of their weapons. In addition to the still-produced Hellfires, an alternative appears on the market in the form of its successor, the AGM-179 JAGM, which is also produced by Lockheed Martin. JAGMs are to become the standard type of precision air-to-surface and surface-to-surface weapons for the US military, replacing the currently used BGM-71 TOW, AGM-114 Hellfire and AGM-65 Maverick. For this reason, they will be integrated with a significant number of carriers - the work on certification of integration with the Bell AH-1Z Viper is currently the most advanced and will allow the missile to be introduced into its weapon suite as early as this year. So far, the UK has become the only foreign user of the AGM-179, which ordered a small batch in May 2021 - they should form the armament of the currently deployed Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian helicopters, but there is no information yet. about the schedule for certification and integration with this platform.
