XXVI INPO - a change in trend?
PET/PCL System Workstation by PIT-Radwar SA The PET and PCL antennas are on both masts, so both masts are raised for operation at the same time (the masts are not deployed in the photo). The PET/PCL station is mounted on the platform, Jelcz is the carrier and balances the stations when operating at wind limits of several tens of m/s.
Great expectations were associated with the XXVI International Exhibition of the Defense Industry and its accompanying XXIV International Logistics Fair MTL, which was the result of the ongoing technical modernization of the Polish Armed Forces. Probably a little exaggerated. However, in many ways it was an amazing salon. Another thing is whether such surprises were expected.
The Ministry of National Defense declared this year's Salon in Kielce special because its decoration will add sparkle to the celebration of the 100th anniversary of Poland's return to the political map of Europe after the end of the First World War. Even the previous leadership of the Ministry of National Defense decided that the so-called. this year the national exhibition will be Polish and not foreign, as it has been so far. Exhibitors from other countries had to share this sentiment, because the participation of companies from outside Poland was the most modest in recent years.
Fewer exhibitors, more troops
Suffice it to say that in Hall E, considered the most prestigious, there are unused areas. There were no Turkish companies at all (last year there was also Otokar), there was a strong presence of companies from the USA (albeit with some significant absences - Textron / Bell or Oshkosh Defense, in the latter case also for the second year in a row; GDLS / GDELS participation was also symbolic), the Polish Army filled almost two halls on its own (plus a large exhibition of equipment outside), and another one with a small area in the other was occupied by Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa SA. This gives an idea of the relationship between “internationality” and “Polishness” of this year’s project. In the case of foreign companies, the exhibition was also limited to presentations of multimedia and models, rather than real equipment. But with exceptions. On the other hand, the first stand of a defense company from China can be considered a sensation of the Salon! So even for US INPO, it is slowly disappearing, while China is growing. Is this proof of the justice of Emmanuel Todd's Après l'empire, this time from the point of view of Kielce?
It is easy to score points at XXVI MSPO, but the fault is not on the side of the organizers, i.e. He even stood out in a plus from the previous ones. There are two reasons for the decline in the interest of foreign exhibitors. One, quite prosaic, is a calendar. This year we already had ILA in Berlin, Eurosatory in Paris, Farnborough International Airshow, and after MSPO, DVD and Euronaval were or are in the queue, limited only to European exhibitions. Defense companies also have their own priorities. Moreover, here we come to the main problem, that the Polish military procurement market is specific, as is the procurement policy of the Ministry of National Defense. To call the Wisła, Homar or Narew programs tenders would be a semantic abuse. The Ministry of National Defense, regardless of the applications submitted, donated contracts to American companies. Although, as a result, the biggest victim is PGZ SA, and not the foreign competition of the Americans.
Some expected that during the Salon the Ministry of Defense would present the main provisions of the "Program for the Development of the Armed Forces for 2017-2026". Moreover, in June the government adopted a resolution “On detailed directions for the reconstruction and technical re-equipment of the Armed Forces for 2017–2026.” However, this did not happen. Instead, Minister Mariusz Blaszczak announced the creation of the fourth division of the Land Forces (18th division) east of Warsaw (actually the formation of a new brigade, since two existing brigades, i.e. the composition of the 21st magazine). The plans of the Ministry of National Defense immediately sparked a wave of academic debate about whether Poland could afford another division. Why not, since the government has committed to paying Fort Trump $1 billion annually (the cost of two FREMM frigates plus a hefty sum of the rest), so money is clearly not an issue. At the INPO, the Ministry of Defense also concluded agreements on bilateral military cooperation with the ministries of defense of Ethiopia, Moldova and Nepal, which is worth noting - without the slightest irony -.
