Poland and Turkey are increasing their armaments cooperation

By TOC

WARSAW, ($1=3.94 Polish Zlotys) – We expect an intensification of training relations between Polish and Turkish soldiers; Polish missions to Turkey will soon be sent to tighten relations regarding military cooperation, said the head of the Ministry of Defense, Mariusz Błaszczak, on Friday after a meeting with Turkey’s Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, learned BulgarianMilitary.com.

Błaszczak emphasized that Polish-Turkish relations date back 600 years of shared history. They are bearing fruit today in cooperation, especially within the framework of the North Atlantic Alliance, but – as he added – bilateral cooperation is also developing well. He emphasized that the tangible proof of this was the signing of agreements “on cooperation, but also the purchase of drones from Turkey” during President Andrzej Duda’s visit to Turkey.

According to the head of the Ministry of National Defense, military cooperation between Poland and Turkey comes down not only to equipment but also to joint exercises of Polish and Turkish soldiers and the organization of missions. Błaszczak recalled that Turkish pilots have recently completed their stay in Malbork as part of the Baltic Air Policing mission, and Polish soldiers are participating in the NATO mission in Turkey. “We have agreed on the next exercises of Polish and Turkish soldiers. So we expect an intensification of training relations between Polish and Turkish soldiers” emphasized Błaszczak.

He added that “soon, without delay, Polish missions will be sent to Turkey to strengthen relations regarding military cooperation”. “We are interested in this cooperation, we are interested in joint development of armament-related techniques, we are interested in exchanging experiences in the field of military equipment,” said the head of the Ministry of National Defense. Minister Hulusi Akar assured that, as NATO allies, Turkey and Poland would develop cooperation. “We have decided that our delegations will meet more often as part of a strategic partnership when it comes to the war industry, and that military missions will also be sent,” he stressed.

The Turkish minister said that the talks also concerned developing cooperation on other levels, not only the military and the arms industry. “In the bis future, if we sign a framework agreement as part of the cooperation of our troops, it will give impetus to our cooperation” noted Akar. “Turkey’s potential, as well as Poland’s in terms of armed forces, is obvious”.

“We are adding a lot to NATO and we will develop it further to achieve an even higher level of security in our regions” he stressed. He added that Turkey was working hard to ensure security in the Aegean Sea and the Black Sea. He strove to become a member of the European Union, assuring Turkey that such membership was Turkey’s “strategic goal” and thanked Poland “for its support in this area.”

Poland has purchased from Turkey four Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicles along with 24 aircraft. The contract was signed on May 24, the purchase was carried out under urgent operational needs. According to the deputy head of the Ministry of National Defense, Wojciech Skurkiewicz, in July, each set will have “mobile ground stations for fire control, sensor control, and weapons”. In practice, this means the ability to center each set into three independent elements. Each set is also to be purchased with:

  • six optoelectronic heads, type MX-15, enabling the use of weapons with a thermal imaging camera and a laser pointer,
  • two SAR radars for reconnaissance missions, six IFF systems,
  • three mobile data transfer terminals extending the range of BSP operations. Together with the unmanned aerial vehicles, a logistics and training package, as well as simulators, will be purchased, one of which will be installed at the aviation academy in Dęblin, and the other at the base of unmanned aerial vehicles in Mirosławiec, where these machines will be stationed. As part of the training package, 48 soldiers will be trained for each of the sets, i.e. a total of 192 specialists. These will be mission operators and commanders, as well as instructors in both of these specialties.

The armament of Turkish UAVs will be MAM-C and MAM-L precision ammunition systems, guided by the reflected laser beam. Deliveries are planned for 2022-2024. Other areas of potential cooperation between Poland and Turkey include, inter alia, artillery and missile systems, electronic reconnaissance and combat equipment, as well as combat vehicles.

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