Poland Buys 48 Fighter Jets, 980 Battle Tanks And 648 Howitzers From South Korea, What For?

JAKARTA - Poland on Wednesday signed a basic agreement with South Korea to procure Korean-made FA-50 light attack fighters, K2 battle tanks and K9 self-propelled howitzers.

Under the "framework contract," Poland will buy 48 FA-50 jets, 980 K2 battle tanks and 648 K9 howitzers, the Polish government said, describing the deal as one of the country's "most important and largest" defense orders in recent years, quoted from the Korea Times on July 28.

The contract comes as Poland has been trying to "fill the gap" created by the delivery of weapons systems to Ukraine, which has been at war with Russia. Warsaw did not disclose the estimated cost for the contract.

Deliveries of 180 K2 tanks are expected to begin this year, while 800 K2 tanks will be produced in Poland. Poland also plans to buy 48 K9 howitzers first and order 600 more thereafter.

Poland's Ministry of National Defense previously said the country plans to buy 48 FA-50 light attack fighters, with the first batch of 12 jets due for delivery by the middle of next year.

This will mark Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI)'s largest FA-50 export. After delivering 12 FA-50s, KAI plans to establish a maintenance, repair, overhaul (MRO) center in Poland to help ensure stable operation of the fighter jets.

KAI also plans to establish an international school to train pilots.

On the sidelines of signing the contract, Deputy Prime Minister of Poland and Minister of Defense Mariusz Blaszczak said, South Korea's weapons systems are most suitable to meet their country's defense needs by considering various aspects such as technology, cost, and timing of deployment.

The deal is known to brighten prospects for South Korean companies seeking to create or strengthen their foothold in Europe.

"Europe is as important a market as the United States. Behind orders in Europe, we will step up efforts to achieve the goal of exporting 1.000 Korean aircraft," KAI CEO Ahn Hyun-ho was quoted as saying.