The helicopters will complement the 32 Leonardo AW149 already purchased, the AW101 is it was also chosen by the Polish Navy and currently acquired in 4 examples.
The contract for delivery of four AW101 helicopters for the Polish Navy was signed in April 2019 at PZL-Świdnik. An offset contract was also signed, the beneficiary of which is the WZL-1 plant, which will form a helicopter exploitation support center. The other beneficiary of the offset contract is the Centre for Maritime Military Technologies at the Gdańsk University of Technology.
The AW101 helicopters are to be used for anti-submarine warfare and CSAR tasks. Leonardo is to provide technical support for 10 years and PZL-Świdnik is the prime contractor for the Navy programme. Deliveries are scheduled for 2022. Some of the work is being carried out at PZL-Świdnik according to schedule.
Besides PZL-Świdnik, the Polish company fully owned by Leonardo, has been awarded in June 2022 a contract by the Polish Ministry of Defence (MoD) worth 8.25 billion PLN gross (approximately EUR 1.76 billion) for the supply of 32 AW149 multirole helicopters.
In addition, the contract includes logistics, training and simulator packages. The logistics package includes a stock of spares and consumable parts, as well as equipment for the ground handling of the helicopters. The training and simulator package includes comprehensive training of pilots and technical personnel and the delivery of a set of advanced simulators and training equipment. The new helicopters will carry out missions including troop transport and air support. The equipment of the helicopters will also allow them to be used for casualty evacuation, search and rescue in combat operations and for the transport of goods and supplies.
The helicopters’ configuration, fully meeting the requirements of the Polish Armed Forces, will also include, among others, observation systems, small arms, guided/unguided rockets and missiles and self-defence systems. The armament, depending on the helicopter variant and configuration, can be installed in the cabin or on the helicopter’s external hard points. The deliveries of the helicopters will be made in the 2023-2029 period.
Acting as the prime contractor, PZL-Świdnik will host a local production line for these new helicopters. Leonardo will therefore undertake further investments in its Polish facility in addition to approximately 1 billion EUR already invested since 2010, which has significantly strengthened the competitiveness and the industrial capabilities of PZL-Świdnik.
This provides an important contribution to the Polish aerospace and defence industry, which will enable domestic production, the establishment of a logistic base and thorough technical support for the Polish MoD’s AW149s, in line with Leonardo and PZL-Świdnik’s commitment to deliver industrial benefits to Poland.
The AW149, already in service with international operators for a range of applications and under evaluation among many countries, is ideally suited to modernise defence helicopter fleets and replace a range of ageing types in the medium weight category. The AW149 is a latest generation multirole military helicopter designed from the outset to meet the most demanding needs of armed forces.
The platform can be reconfigured to perform a wide variety of demanding tasks in the toughest operational conditions. The AW149’s advanced equipment, weapons and system technologies, combined with its agility, range/endurance and high power margins, highest levels of safety and survivability, provide defence users with high operational availability, mission effectiveness and cost efficiency of the fleet.
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