October 30, 2023 on the basis of the 25th Air Cavalry Brigade (25 Brygada Kawalerii Powietrznej im. Księcia Józefa Poniatowskiego) of the Polish Ground Forces in Nowy Glinnik (Lodz Voivodeship), a ceremony was held to receive the first two AW149 multipurpose helicopters manufactured by the Italian company Leonardo. The ceremony was attended by Polish Minister of National Defense Mariusz Blaszczak.
One of the first two Leonardo AW149 multipurpose helicopters received by the Polish Army Aviation (Polish tail number "6701", serial number 49104, former Italian military number CSX82112). Nowy-Glinnik, 30.10.2023 (c) Ministry of National Defense of Poland
Recall that on July 1, 2022, the Armaments Agency of the Ministry of National Defense of Poland signed a contract for the purchase of 32 AW149 multipurpose helicopters manufactured by Leonardo Helicopters (as part of the Italian company Leonardo) for the Polish army aviation. The contract value is 8.25 billion zlotys (about 1.76 billion euros), including a logistics package, simulators and training equipment and personnel training. The delivery of helicopters should be made in 2023-2029.
AW149 helicopters are being purchased as "linear transport and combat" for arming the 25th Air Cavalry Brigade of the Polish Army, and they will be armed with Hellfire guided missiles. In March 2023, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) of the US Department of Defense sent a notification to the US Congress about the planned upcoming sale to Poland through the US program of intergovernmental foreign military sales Foreign Military Sales (FMS) 800 AGM-114R2 Hellfire missiles with an estimated value of $150 million.
AW149 helicopters under this contract, in theory, should be assembled at the now owned by Leonardo Polish company PZL-Świdnik in Svidnik. In fact, both the first received helicopters with Polish tail numbers "6701" (serial number 49104, former Italian military number CSX82112) and "6702" (serial number 49105, former Italian military number CSX82113) were completely manufactured at Leonardo Helicopters in Italy.
The first two Leonardo AW149 multipurpose helicopters received by the Polish Army Aviation with Polish tail numbers "6701" (serial number 49104, former Italian military number CSX82112) and "6702" (serial number 49105, former Italian military number CSX82113). Nowy-Glinnik, 30.10.2023 (c) Ministry of National Defense of Poland and radiolodz.pl
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