Poland has received two more South Korean FA-50 fighter jets for the Polish Air Force.
The aircraft were received at Warsaw Okecie, with a total of eight FA-50s being delivered so far.
According to Minister of Defense Mariusz Błaszczak , a total of 12 will be delivered by the end of the year.
“With determination, we are modernizing the Polish Army and increasing the security of the Polish skies,” he wrote on X.
The first FA-50 fighter was delivered in July with a following order in the works for an additional 36 in the FA-50PL configuration specific to Polish requirements.
The Polish Air Force will use the new aircraft to patrol the country’s air borders and participate in allied missions, according to the Defense Ministry.
Deliveries of the next order are scheduled to begin in 2025 and be complete in two to three years.
Kolejne koreańskie samoloty dla 🇵🇱 Sił Powietrznych. Na warszawskim Okęciu zameldowały się dwa FA-50. Do dziś dostarczono łącznie 8 egzemplarzy FA-50, a do końca roku będzie ich 12. Z determinacją modernizujemy Wojsko Polskie i zwiększamy bezpieczeństwo polskiego nieba. pic.twitter.com/O3K8Mjxle8
— Mariusz Błaszczak (@mblaszczak) October 24, 2023
Accelerated Delivery
Manufactured by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), the FA-50 has been produced on an accelerated timeline for Warsaw due to tensions on NATO’s eastern flank.
The Polish Ministry of Defense requested that KAI speed up production for faster delivery in light of the present geopolitical circumstances.
From the contract signing until the first plane delivery took only eight months.
Korean FA-50 Jet Fighter
An armed, light supersonic aircraft, the fighter can reach speeds of up to Mach 1.5 (1,837 kilometers/1,142 miles per hour) with an operational range of 1,800 kilometers (1,118 miles) and maximum altitude of 14,600 meters (47,000 feet).
Its primary armament is a 20mm gun supported by various aerial bombs, AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missiles, and AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles.
