Poland Signs $44.5M Deal To Modernize MiG-29s

Poland's Ministry of Defense has inked a $44.5 million deal with local defense company Wojskowe Zaklady Lotnicze 2 to modernize 16 Soviet-built MiG-29 fighter jets, the ministry's Armament Inspectorate said.

The aircraft include 13 jets in the single-seat combat variant and three aircraft in the two-seat MiG-29UB-12 training version. The upgrade, which is intended to keep the jets operational until at least 2030, will increase their combat capabilities and their compatibility with the Polish Air Force's F-16 fighters, according to a ministry document.

"WZL 2 is the only facility in Poland which performs repairs and modernizations ... of the MiG-29 fighter jets," the Armament Inspectorate said in a statement. "The plant has the necessary know-how, experience and technical potential for the completion of the contract."

Under the deal, the aircraft will be fitted with new avionics, including mission computers, Mil 1553 data bus systems and SAASM GPS modules. The new gear is to be supplied by an unnamed U.S. manufacturer, the Armament Inspectorate said.

WZL 2 is a state-owned aircraft repair plant located in Bydgoszcz, in the country's northwest. In 2010, the defense business posted revenues of 120.6 million zloty ($40.13 million), up a robust 274 percent over a year earlier, and a net profit of 11.5 million zloty, a tenfold increase over 2009. The company has more than 600 employees.

Source: WARSAW - By JAROSLAW ADAMOWSKI (Published: 7 Sep 2011) - www.defensenews.com

Photo: Polish Air Defence (Interceptor) 2 sqn with 40 Ftr ac: 10 MiG-29A Fulcrum; 11 MiG-29G Fulcrum; 3 MiG-29GT Fulcrum; 9 MiG-29SMT Fulcrum; 4 MiG-29UB Fulcrum*; 3 MiG-29UBT Fulcrum*
* Trainer Aircraft

(9/8/2011)