Sherman

https://theaviationist.com/2025/08/13/poland-signs-3-8b-deal-for-f-16v-upgrade/ Work to be performed in Poland over the next decade. By the time the upgrades are complete the bloom may be off the rose, but on the other hand, by performing the work themselves they gain competencies and keep more cash in-country. My thoughts on a better move would be to "sell" these still relevant air frames to Ukraine while adding 16-32 F-35 and 48-64 Typhoons using SAFE funds for the EFs, but no one listens to me. Probably for good reason.

Well they had to come up with something in order to change the subject from how they are hemorrhaging cash, whilst weapons are being snapped up by customers globally like goldfish in a piranha tank. After they finished the earnings call, a planning meeting convened featuring Cristal, blow and "other necessary planning materials". I fear I chose the wrong career path.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highways_in_Poland#/media/File:HighwaysMapPoland.svg This is a a graphic illustration of the progression of the Polish national highways.

I think so, and SK would love to get an export customer, though how quickly they could fill an order is in question given their own internal requirements.

They are, so would the Philippines have to wait until that process is finished, or would the U.S. put them toward the front of the line? I believe the SKs are progressing with the Block 20s and might have a quicker turnaround. One major drawback with the FA-50 is lack of AIM-120 at this time, and there is no guarantee it will ever be integrated. EDIT: Then I hear Egypt is in negotiations for 100 FA-50s so maybe not a quicker turnaround...

Doubtful, unless they are financed in large part. The AESA is not standard on the C/D Block so these would be upgraded, but maybe not up to V Standard? The lead time would be at least few years unless they are put at the front of the queue. They did, FA-50 Block 10. I thought they were looking for additional FA-50 in Block 20 with AESA and AIM 9X capability. Also the SKs are looking to integrate an air launched cruise missile which would increase the value of the aircraft significantly. Depending on the terms and price, they would be better off with SK aircraft for a number of reasons. However, an F-16 order may be part of the price for U.S. "protection". It will be interesting to see if there was a definitive determination of the cause of the crash last month of the Philippine FA-50.

I read your very informative article on Defence 24. Well done, I appreciated the detailed analysis of the developments at HSW. I agree with many of the points you made, hopefully, there will be time to more extensively re-equip and provide stores of munitions for the armed forces of Poland. I fear the hour is getting late.

Thank you.

Thanks for the update! The production schedule is significantly slower than I had expected, and may not bode well for a Polish solution to a heavy IFV. With a requirement for 2100 units between the two vehicle series, the math is fairly clear. Of course, I am not privy to the reasoning behind this and will continue to follow developments.

Apparently, Poland is to apply for low interest long-term loans for up to 20 billion € from the European Defence fund. A pending order for 2-3 Type 212CD might expedite the paperwork.

Excellent news!! Thanks for sharing it. I would be curious if you get any insights about their production capacity and the time frame for the production of this first lot, while understanding this type of information may be considered sensitive at this point. The quicker the Soviet junk is purged the better.

Agreed. Borsuk will not be exported and Poland cannot afford to export it at this time regardless. Poles have some decent products but there is not current production capacity to cover even domestic requirements in most areas. The best potential for Poland is to work their way into the supply chain in a more meaningful way and start procuring more European produced systems that they have investment in, be it production of sub components, engineering or even shares in the business entities themselves. But that is a rational way to look at things, and so...

It all depends if Europe is serious about assuming responsibility for their defence, they may still have their heads in the sand. They would be making a mistake ignoring the potential of Poland, but they would be fostering a potential competitor down the road. But first, Europe needs to insure their is still a road to go down. It will be interesting to see whether greed or fear wins out.

Hopefully, with the new European Defence Fund Poland will be able to more fully capitalize military production capacity and provide for a more realistic procurement horizon for IFVs and other tracked/wheeled vehicles.

https://defence24-pl.translate.goog/przemysl/wiemy-kiedy-mon-kupi-borsuki-news-defence24?_x_tr_sl=pl&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_hist=true First executive contract for Borsuk IFV. 🍻