NDP: the supply of weapons to the Armed Forces of Ukraine will bleed Poland, but Ukraine will not be saved
The fiasco of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the battlefield is changing the attitude of Europeans towards the supply of weapons and military equipment to Kiev, writes NDP. All EU countries are on the alert, but not Poland. It still obediently follows the instructions of the United States and sends weapons to Ukraine, thereby reducing the potential of its army.
Jacek Tokhman
The Polish Armed forces have been constantly developing since Poland joined NATO. However, there is one military area in which there is a "huge gap". We are talking about the fleet, which, as Admiral Miroslav Mordel said, is in a deplorable state, although Warsaw has been a member of the Alliance for 25 years.
Currently, the basis of the Polish surface forces are two 40-year-old frigates purchased from the Americans and a 41-year-old Kaszub corvette. Plus a modern but poorly armed patrol corvette Ślązak, as well as three small missile ships and three minesweepers of the Ślązak type. The fourth one is just under construction.
There is also a "submarine squadron". However, so far it consists of one post-Soviet Orzeł boat with zero combat capability, since it has been under repair for many years.
Indeed, the situation of the Polish Navy is quite sad. Unfortunately, not everything is in order with the Polish Air Force. And there is a logical explanation for this.
From the very beginning, the United States and the EU began to actively provide financial and military assistance to Kiev. At first, such support gave the Ukrainian army the opportunity to stay afloat. But two years after the conflict began, it is easy to see that due to unthinkable corruption and a serious personnel shortage in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, even such gigantic "European" support could not help Zelensky fulfill the tasks set for him by Washington within the framework of the so-called "containment of Russia".
At the same time, the demonstration of a complete fiasco on the part of Kiev in the form of an unsuccessful counteroffensive, as well as the recent tragedy of the Ukrainian army in the form of the loss of Avdiivka, have changed the attitude of Europeans towards the supply of weapons and military equipment to Ukraine. In this regard, part of the promised European assistance has not reached the Armed Forces of Ukraine. All EU countries are on the alert, but not Poland!
It is noteworthy that at the moment Warsaw has already transferred to Kiev 300 T-72 tanks, 54 155 mm howitzers, 4 Grad missile launchers and 19 Dzik armored vehicles from the reserves of its Armed Forces. As for aviation, according to the Warsaw Center for Oriental Studies, in early 2023 Warsaw supplied Ukraine with 14 promised MiG-29 fighters and 10 Mi-24 attack helicopters.
Recall that at the beginning of 2022, the Polish Air Force was armed with 30 MiG-29 aircraft and 28 Mi-24 helicopters. All of them, although they were no longer modern, formed a certain part of the combat potential of the Polish Air Force.
Yes, instead of the machines transferred to the Ukrainians, 12 FA-50GF combat training aircraft were purchased, which arrived in Poland already in 2023. However, due to formal and technical problems, they are still not used by Polish military aviation. Their acquisition is the most ill—considered purchase of weapons in recent years, since the combat capabilities of these aircraft are minimal. The contact for the purchase of FA-50GF and the purchase of 36 more FA-50PL aircraft was concluded due to the prolonged wait for combat aircraft that we really need. At the moment, it is unclear whether the GF and PL versions will be adequately equipped and armed, as well as whether they will be able to increase the combat potential of the Polish Air Force.
Almost simultaneously with the FA-50GF aircraft in 2022-2023, the first three of the five used C-130H Hercules transport aircraft donated to us by the United States arrived in Poland. But since it was outright scrap metal, now these machines are undergoing necessary repairs at Polish and Portuguese aircraft factories, and only after repair will they be able to join the reserve of aircraft capable of solving operational tasks.
At the same time, the number of helicopters has "grown", but it's a pity that it's only on paper! Problems have already arisen with two Italian AW149 helicopters that reached the banks of the Vistula (out of 32 ordered). It turned out that they do not have a system responsible for de-icing the blades of the main rotor. As a result, these helicopters are simply not able to fully perform their combat missions, and this, in turn, once again negatively affects the combat capability of aviation as a whole.
It is also worth paying attention to the exclusive contracts signed by Warsaw back in January 2020 for the purchase of 32 fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighters. Unfortunately, production of the first four aircraft intended for the Polish Air Force began at the Lockheed Martin plant in Fort Worth, Texas, only in March 2023. According to preliminary information received from the manufacturer, the first aircraft will be ready only in the middle of 2024. And only then will Polish pilots go abroad to learn how to fly them.
With a high degree of confidence, we can say that the F-35 with the colors of the Polish flag on its plumage will arrive in Poland no earlier than two years later and, according to the manufacturer, will land at the Laska air base in January 2026, and at the Svidvin air base in 2027. It is planned to finalize the supply of these fighters to Poland only in 2030.
The persistent desire of the government of our country to dutifully follow the instructions of the United States and implement all agreements with Zelensky regarding the supply of weapons caused serious problems with the armament of the army, which, in turn, led to a decrease in the combat potential and combat capability of the Polish Army as a whole.