Sweden might supply Poland with early warning aircraft – MoD
In the absence of early warning aircraft such as the E-3 SENTRY/AWACS, Poland must rely on its NATO partners to monitor its airspace [and beyond]. But that may change in the future.
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On May 22, on the sidelines of a Northern Group meeting in Legionowo, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak revealed that discussions are underway to purchase Swedish-made early warning aircraft.
“We’re about to get early warning planes. We are conducting detailed negotiations with Sweden. I hope they will come true soon,” said Mr. Blaszczak. However, he did not specify what kind of device is envisaged.
The Swedish Air Force currently operates two Saab 340 AEW&Cs. Each one is equipped with an Erieye radar. These aircraft will soon be replaced by two Global 6000 [supplied by Bombardier] “GlobalEye” aircraft.
The new aircraft are equipped with an array of sensors insensitive to jamming. The equipment also includes an Erieye ER long-range radar, a SeaSpray active antenna radar, and an optical ball. The collected data is then combined into a multi-domain command and control system [C2].
It should be noted that GlobalEye is an announced candidate for the AFSC [Future Alliance Surveillance and Control Capability] program. These aircraft are to replace 14 E-3 AWACS of the NATO Air Force Early Warning and Control [NAEW&C]. Boeing is also targeting this market with its E-7 Wedgetail.
As a reminder, last November Poland ordered two ships designed to gather intelligence of electromagnetic origin [ROEM or SIGINT] from the Swedish Saab group, through a contract worth 620 million euros.
“With Sweden, we have the Baltic Sea in common, we perceive the threats from the Russian side in the same way, and therefore we are looking for common solutions to guarantee our security,” emphasized the Polish minister.
In any case, according to the specialized publication ZBiAM, Mr. Błaszczak’s announcement is “a big surprise, since until now the need to purchase such equipment was not included in the statements of the Ministry of National Defense.”
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