Any modern developed state pays close attention to protecting not only its land borders, but also control over the heavenly space. That is why the Polish Air Force is one of the most powerful military branches in this European power. The current leadership of the country understands perfectly well that without proper defense of the sky, the protection of state integrity and sovereignty is simply unthinkable. This article will be devoted to the Polish Air Force. We’ll talk about them in more detail.
Quick reference
The Polish Air Force was created back in 1918, in parallel with the declaration of independence of the state. These troops took part in the war of Poland and Soviet Russia.
After the Germans occupied Poland in 1939, its aircraft became part of the British Air Force, and somewhat later, the Polish People’s Army, which was formed on the territory of the USSR.
The Polish Air Force received its current name - Siły Powietrzne - on July 1, 2004, and they still wear it today.
Historical excursion
On the first day of September 1939, two air battles took place, which, in essence, gave a start to the start of World War II. It was then that the Polish Air Force, photos of which are shown below, first showed its strength and power.
Captain Mechislav Medvedtsky with his wingman, Second Lieutenant Vladislav Gnysh, took off on the alarm and saw a German bomber in front of him returning from a combat mission. Noticing that he was being pursued, the pilot of the Yu-87B opened fire on the Mechislav plane and shot him down. In response to this, the second lieutenant went down and found two more fascist aircraft under him - the Do-17E. Vladislav decided to attack and eventually shot down two enemy vehicles. That was the beginning of the war between Nazi Germany and Poland.
Before the beginning of this bloody years of massacre, aviation in Poland was not a single military unit. Almost 750 aircraft of various types, which were brought together in 6 aviation regiments, were based by divisions at bases near Krakow, Warsaw, Poznan, Lida, Vilna, Torun and Lviv. In those days, aviation in the Polish state was considered as a secondary force. Therefore, in July 1939, the country's leadership decided to transfer most of the military aircraft to the subordination of the ground forces with the simultaneous formation of bomber and fighter brigades from the remaining aircraft. However, the reorganization really began only in the last decade of August and went badly. Repair bases were not adapted to the innovations, the system of providing spare parts and fuel was very poorly functioning.
Thus, initially the Polish Air Force did not play a key role in the Second World War with the Nazis for one simple reason - they simply were not ready for the challenge posed by the militarily developed Germany.
Defensive war
In the period of 1939, an important role in the confrontation with the Germans was played by the Polish fighter brigade, consisting of two divisions, each of which, in turn, had two squadrons. In the brigade, there were three dozen R-11s fighters, 15 15P-11a aircraft, 10 sufficiently worn R-7a aircraft, and a communications aircraft, the RVD-8. The brigade was commanded by the hero of the First World War, fighter pilot Colonel Stefan Pavlikovsky, who initiated the creation of a separate fighter unit.
The brigade began its combat work on the first day of the war. At about 7 a.m., 52 fighter-interceptors took off from the runway. It was this group that attacked the German He-111 bombers flying under the cover of the Me-110.
In the first six days of the war, Polish pilots were able to shoot down 38 enemy bombers. Almost the main task of the brigade was the air defense of Warsaw. As the main tactics of the Polish fighters, ambushes along the route of German bombers were chosen. Active actions of the Polish Air Force lasted only a week. At the same time, the number of sorties was greatly reduced.
Losses
In battle, 52 fighters were lost. Directly on the ground, the Poles lost 36 P-7 and P-11. Thirteen Elk bombers and two dozen Karas light bombers, five communications aircraft and one transport aircraft were also destroyed. In total, the Polish army lost 357 aircraft. As for the German Air Force, in September 1939 they did not count 285 aircraft, including not only fighters and bombers, but also communications, transport, and naval aircraft. Largely because of such serious losses, Hitler carried out the attack on France only in 1940.
Northern Group of Forces
After the war, by decision of the Soviet leadership, a special group of troops was created, based in the town of Brzeg:
The composition of the Air Force SGV (Brzeg, Poland) in different years of its existence included:
- 164th Separate Guard Kerch Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment of the Order of the Red Banner. This unit was located at the base from the end of 1958 to August 1, 1990. The armament of the regiment was represented by such aircraft: MiG-25 RB, MiG-25 BM, Su-24MR.
- 151st Separate Aviation Regiment of electronic warfare. It was formed in the summer of 1984 on the basis of the 151st separate squadron. The regiment was stationed at the base in the period 1960-1989. Over the years, MiG-21R and Yak-28PP aircraft were used as weapons. The main task of the regiment was to cover groups of front-line attack aircraft and the complete destruction of enemy radar stations. To set active and passive interference, the Yak-28 PP plane was used. The summer of 1989, the regiment was transferred to the Belarusian airfield "Schuchino".
- 55th Separate Sevastopol Helicopter Combat Regiment. It was located at the base from 1981 to 1989. The units were armed with Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters.
- 871 Pomeranian Fighter Aviation Regiment. It was based from 1989 to 1990.
Intercept
At the end of July 2016 there was an unpleasant incident involving a Russian. As stated by the Polish Ministry of Defense, the republic’s air force intercepted a Russian plane that illegally crossed the state’s airspace. The department noted that to intercept the ship, American-made F-16 planes were lifted into the air, which carried out the escort of the aircraft.
As it turned out, the Polish Air Force intercepted a light-engine aircraft from the Russian Federation, which, according to unofficial data, was sent to the city of Radom to participate in subsequent competitions in aerial acrobatics. Such close attention to small aircraft was riveted because in the last week of July Poland had severe restrictions on flights for small aircraft due to the fact that Pope Francis was in the country and took part in World Catholic Youth Days.
Also, a spokesman for the defense ministry noted that after the Polish Air Force intercepted a Russian plane, they explained to the pilot on the radio and using gestures what exactly he had to do. As a result, the ship landed at Radom Airport and was sent to an aircraft hangar, and its pilot was detained by local police. In addition, the Polish military pointed to the fact that the Polish Air Force intercepted a Russian plane due to the fact that it entered the restricted area without first obtaining special permission for this. Despite the active interest of the media in this incident, the Ministry of Defense did not provide more detailed information. This is largely why the news that the Polish Air Force intercepted a Russian plane did not immediately become available to the public.
Our days
The Polish Air Force 2015 is almost identical to today's. I would like to note that this country is currently the only one in the world where both the MiG-29 and the F-16 are in service. Moreover, the Poles acquired all the MiG-29s available to the Germans and Czechs after the collapse of the Soviet Union. There are 32 such aircraft in Poland.
As for the F-16, these fighters are new, specially built by the United States specifically for the Poles in the period 2003-2004. This situation exposes the Polish Air Force, the composition of which we are considering, in a very favorable light, since these F-16s are practically one of the new machines in the world of this modification, with the exception of only a few aircraft from other countries.
Many of us may think about why the United States put Poland in service with aircraft better than itself. Here the answer is quite simple. Given the fact that Poland is on the front eastern edge of the NATO military bloc, which shows all the signs of an aggressive-offensive strategy in the process of its development, it is quite easy to understand the reason for such concern and attention of Americans about their European partners, directly bordering Russia.
Also in service with Poland are:
- 16 pieces of CASA C-295 M - Spanish-made aircraft.
- 5 pieces of C-130E Hercules - US-made military transport aircraft.
- 23 pieces PZL M28B Bryza TD - Polish aircraft.
- 28 pieces PZL-130TC-1 Orlik - training aircraft of Polish production.
- 32 pieces TS-11 Iskra bis DF - training aircraft.
- 2 pieces Embraer ERJ 175 - VIP transport (Brazil).
Helicopter fleet of Poland is represented by such machines:
- Mi-8 - 9 pieces.
- Mi-17 - 8 pieces.
- PZL Mi-2 - 16 pieces.
- PZL Sokół - 21 pieces.
- PZL SW-4 Puszczyk - 24 pieces.
Write-off of old aircraft
In the period until 2016, Su-22 aircraft were decommissioned, from which Poland refused to modernize. This is explained by the fact that both the moral and physical resources of these aircraft turned out to be completely exhausted, and the country's leadership did not see any sense in their reconstruction.
Reconstruction
The first modernized MiG-29 entered service with the Polish Air Force in July 2013. Board number 89 was assigned to this aircraft, and a military base forty kilometers from Warsaw became its permanent location.
In general, 16 aircraft of this type underwent modernization. All the necessary work was carried out by the WZL-2 plant, with which a contract worth about $ 40 million was signed. Thanks to such a technical improvement, the machines will last until 2028. Particular attention in the process of re-equipment was given to the navigation system, radio station and other avionics.
At the end of 2015, the Polish Ministry of Defense decided to organize a tender, the purpose of which was to purchase nine RD-33 aircraft engines of the second series, which serve to equip the Mig-29.
The first three engines will be delivered during 2016, and the last should be received by the Poles in 2018. The main problem is that the second series of this engine is nowhere and is not being produced by anyone, and therefore it will be practically impossible to acquire a power plant of this type in the near future, because now the time has come for third-generation engines. Therefore, Poland is even considering the purchase of revised engines, the overhaul period of which should be at least 350 hours, and the technical resource of at least 700 hours. At the same time, the engine supplier will be required to provide a full guarantee that the units will operate 200 flight hours or two calendar years without fail.
Appliances from Italy
In July 2016, the Polish media reported that Italy successfully passed the flight tests of the first M-346 aircraft, which was built by special order for Poland.
The car was solemnly taken out to the runway on July 6. It happened in Lombardy. Initially, signs of the Polish Air Force were applied to the aircraft, but immediately before departure, the ship’s side was completely cleared of them in order to avoid violation of local laws and create additional, unnecessary tension for anyone.
The contract with the Italian company was concluded in the amount of 280 million euros in 2013. The agreement provides for the creation and supply of eight aircraft to Poland. In addition, the Polish military will receive special flight simulators. The company will also be fully responsible for the training of all engineering and flight personnel of the Polish Air Force. The Italians' competence will also include full, long-term maintenance of the aircraft they sell.
The first pair of M-346 will be delivered to Poland in November 2016. The remaining six aircraft will arrive in Poland in February, May and October 2017. All of these aircraft will be based in the fourth aviation wing, stationed in Deblin.
Contract with Ukraine
Until the end of autumn 2016, 40 R-27R1 missiles manufactured by the Kiev Artem State Aerospace Complex will be delivered to the 23rd air-tactical base in Minsk-Mazowiecki. These medium-range missiles with a semi-active radar guidance system will be installed on the upgraded MiG-29 of the Polish Air Force.
Air defense system
Speaking about the Polish ground defense, one cannot fail to notice that the NATO member country already has several batteries of the Patriot American anti-aircraft missile system. 13 air divisions of the S-125 air defense system, one S-200 and a Circle regiment, which are to some extent already obsolete, are still holding defense from the air, but they are still quite capable of carrying full combat duty.