Warsaw's deal to buy dozens of F-35 stealth aircraft from the US will be signed next week, the Polish defense minister said on Polish radio on Wednesday.
In an interview with the Channel One radio program “Sygnały Dnia” (“Signals of the Day”), Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak said the deal would be finalized by next week, with the first aircraft being delivered in 2024.
“We've basically finalized the negotiations, with only minor procedural issues still pending. I'm convinced that in January … we will sign an agreement with the United States for the purchase of 32 F-35 planes, the most modern aircraft in the world,” Błaszczak said, according to The First News.
“The first planes for Poland will be ready in 2024. This is the result of very good relations between President Andrzej Duda and US President Donald Trump,” Blaszczak told Channel One, according to Polska Times.
“The decision of the US Department of State approving the sale of 32 state-of-the-art F-35 aircraft to Poland means that we are closer to the implementation of this contract. This is the most important contract in history for the Polish Army; it is the introduction of Polish air forces into a new era. This is the creation of capabilities for the air force, which they did not have before.”
The stealth aircraft will replace Poland's fleet of 28 Soviet-built MiG-29s (NATO reporting name “Fulcrum”) purchased from the Czech Republic and Germany after…
