Poland's request for information finally closes with five contenders for the 60 fighter contract

Published: 8/10/1999

Poland's Request for Information (RFI) concerning the order for up to 60 multirole fighters has now finally closed (www.concise.org 8th July 1999) and responses are being evaluated. The conditions set by Warsaw appear to be straightforward. They call for the provision of a batch of up to 60 fighters, with deliveries starting in 2006, plus an interim delivery of additional aircraft to plug the gap during the conversion from eastern to western equipment, and industrial participation. Five responses were received from BAe/SAAB (Gripen), Boeing (Hornet), DASA (Typhoon), Dassault (Mirage 2000) and Lockheed Martin (Falcon). The original June 30th deadline was delayed for two weeks, at the request of one of the competitors. This was almost certainly Boeing, which was trying to obtain official clearance for the offer of its F-18 E/F models. The next phase is expected to begin in mid-October or early November, after the announcement of budgetary plans in late September 1999. Apart from the BAe/SAAB offer, the participants are keeping tight-lipped. BAe/SAAB are proposing the delivery of 60 of the international variant of SAAB Gripens by the end of 2012, with an option of leasing 18 JAS-39s from the end of batch I and the beginning of batch II, including two 2-seaters. These would be made available to the Polish Air Force (PAF) from late 2001, following the necessary upgrades. The PAF will be allowed 8,000 -10,000 training hours. Prior to this, Polish pilots would be invited to Sweden for training and evaluation on the Gripens. An alternative solution to lease upgraded Viggens, but has been deemed unnecessary. After deliveries begin in 2006, all planes would be returned to the Swedish Air Force, which still requires its 200+ fleet of JAS-39s. Last year's offer of language courses, with practise at local air bases, is still included in the proposal. BAe makes clear its interest in purchasing aviation factories in Poland, specifically at Mielec and Swidnik. Its partner, Rolls Royce, is also interested in the engine manufacturer, WSK PZL-Rzeszow. If the Gripen is chosen, the final assembly of the aircraft and pre-delivery tests will be undertaken at Mielec. Another European participant, Dassault, has, surprisingly not included the Rafaele, in spite of a recent promotion of the aircraft. Its offer, made in mid-July, is based on the provision of Mirage 2000-5s and 2000-5 Mk2s only, although it is possible that the Rafaele may be re-introduced during the Request for Proposal (RFP) phase. However, the number of aircraft available to meet the interim need during the transition phase from eastern to western equipment may be limited, as the French Air Force does not have spare aircraft of its own. There are no indications of any industrial programme, apart from earlier promises to assemble and maintain aircraft at Mielec. The third European bidder, DASA, is offering Eurofighters with upgrades of MiG-29s and Su-22s as an interim solution. The German company is directly interested in Swidnik, and indirectly in PZL Okecie in Warsaw, through its partner, CASA, so making its offer very attractive. Both companies may try to combine forces and include the offer of CASA 235/295 transport aircraft, which are badly needed by the PAF. The US manufacturers, Lockheed Martin and Boeing, are offering unspecified F-16 models and the more modern F-18 E/Fs. In both cases, seven used aircraft are proposed, made up of six single seaters and one 2 seater, for lease during the transition phase. This number is almost certainly too small to fulfil current and future Polish needs. Again, little is known about any proposed participation in the privatisation of the Polish aviation industry, or of the other elements of the US offers. However, unofficial comments made by a source at the Economics Ministry suggest that the American companies are not particularly enthusiastic about the privatisation of the industry. Lockheed Martin has consistently repeated earlier proposals concerning the upgrade of Polish aviation products and the provision of marketing support to Polish companies. Boeing has proposed the final assembly of Hornets at Mielec, but on a very basic and limited basis. Now all the competitors are waiting for the Request for Proposal, following the announcement of the budgetary proposals, which will significantly influence the future of all the bids, given Poland's shortage of funds and the latest administrative reforms, which have resulted in more costly social security and health systems. Recent comments from the Ministry of Finance suggest that all future weaponry purchases will have to be covered by the Ministry of Defence, in contrast to plans announced during the early days of the current government. It is not clear whether all five companies will remain in the running or whether a short list will be drawn up. Most independent observers suggest that only BAe/SAAB and Lockheed Martin are serious contenders. While the US companies may enjoy political favour, the industrial commitment of BAe/SAAB looks promising. In addition, SAAB's owner, Investor, the Swedish investment company, has already made substantial investments in Poland.

Article ID: 744