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Prica se da Poljaci traze zamenu za MIG-29 i Su-22 ali da pored prvo pominjane opcije za polovne F-16 imaju i tri/cetiri druge.
Prva opcija je 32 aviona i razmatra se borbena konfiguracija M-346 FA(vec imaju M-346)
Druga opcija je 32 FA-50, Koreanci navodno dolaze ovih dana.
Treca opcija je 12-16 Italijanskih Eurofightera T1, a posle bi dodali nove T-4.
Cetvrta je lizing 32 Gripena C/D.
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Citat:
The first option is an Italian offering of an armed, combat-capable version of the Leonardo/Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master. The Italians have been attempting to sell a combat-capable version of this trainer into an attack platform for some time. In Poland, the M-346FA, as it is designated in this configuration, would be proposed not only as a MiG-29 replacement but also a substitute for the Sukhoi Su-22s in Polish service.
Leonardo’s proposal is that the aircraft is a lower cost, dual-role platform that could supplement the initial trainer versions already operated by the Poles. The company’s pitch to Warsaw, according to a formal presentation viewed by Breaking Defense, is that “the use of an extended, combat version of this proven aircraft, the M-346FA, can also be beneficial. It is a lightweight multi-role aircraft equipped with a radar, which is a very profitable, tactical solution for the modern battlefield.
“The machine is equally well suited for air-to-surface tasks, air-to-air missions and tactical reconnaissance missions,” the pitch continues. “It can perfectly replace the 20-30 tonne fighter-bomber aeroplanes that are expensive to purchase and operate in less demanding direct air support tasks or anti-insurgency operations.”
Meanwhile, a senior delegation from the Republic of South Korea (ROK) is travelling to Poland to propose the Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) FA-50 light attack aircraft. As an indicator of how badly KAI would like to seal the deal, included in the delegation, expected this week, is the South Korean Deputy Defense Minister.
Like the armed M-346 option, the FA-50 is an adaptation of a training aircraft into a combat platform. The advantages here are the supersonic performance of the FA-50 and its compatibility with the F-16 models already in Polish service.
The FA-50 can also be fitted with an active electronically-scanning array (AESA) radar set. One of the options discussed is a derivative of the Northrop Grumman (NG) AN/APG-83 designed for the F-16V program. This would be a version of the same Korean-built AESA developed for the ROK’s own KF-X indigenous fighter project.
The Korean radar is a step up in technology from the NG design as it would be built with gallium nitride (GaN) technology instead of the previous-generation gallium arsenide (GaAs). The KF-X AESA is designed to have more than 1,000 transmit-receive modules (TRM) with a beam-steering angle would be up to 60 to 70 degrees. If the Poles were to procure this option, it would provide some synergy and datalink compatibility in operation with their existing F-16C/D Block 52+ models.
The other advantage for the FA-50 is that KAI have completed integration of the LM Sniper targeting pod that is utilized by 27 different air forces around the world — including Poland, which has the Sniper in inventory for its current F-16 fleet.
Current planning in Warsaw would call for 32 of either the M-346FA or FA-50 to be procured, but there is also a third proposal for Poland to receive 12-16 of the older, used Tranche 1 Eurofighters from Italy. (Ideally, these would later be supplemented by the latest Tranche 4 models at some point in the future.) The advantage of the cast-off Eurofighters is that they would be available straightaway and could be delivered sooner than any of the other proposed solutions.
Another possibility being discussed internally in Poland is a lease for 32 Saab JAS-39C/D Gripen models. The Gripen-E is a more advanced variant and could be delivered later when the lease would be up, but initially the C/D models would be available in the shortest time frame.
The attractiveness of the Gripen from an operational standpoint is that they are the only western design that is capable of being operated from dispersed basing in the same manner is the MiG-29s that they would be replacing. Polish sources state that their air force is interested in retaining a dispersed basing capacity and how it enhances survivability after having seen the performance of the PSU against Russian air power when employing this operational concept.
Gripen’s other advantages, as Saab officials have pointed out to Breaking Defense, is that the aircraft is available with any weaponry that the customer would choose — US, European, Israeli, Brazilian or South African. More importantly from the standpoint of being able to intercept Russian aircraft at long ranges is that the Gripen is the only aircraft being considered by Poland that carries the MBDA Meteor BVR ramjet-powered air-to-air missile.
However, selecting Gripen would mean introducing a plane into NATO efforts at a time when other alliance members are focusing heavily on interoperability.
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[Link mogu videti samo ulogovani korisnici]
