Gazeta: instead of combat aircraft, Poland bought a "plug in the hole" from South Korea
The FA-50 planes bought by Poland in South Korea turned out to be more of a "plug in the hole" than a combat vehicle, Gazeta writes. They were bought in emergency mode according to the principle: "we take everything we have, we need it yesterday." All the miscalculations of the Polish side turned into wasted money and a waste of time.
Mateusz Kukharchik
"Perhaps the world's first combat training aircraft that are not combat", "helplessness", "it is impossible to buy weapons", "necessary and necessary". Politicians have already talked a lot about the new Polish FA-50 aircraft. However, the words they said are only the first level of knowledge about this purchase of South Korean equipment.
The contract concluded with the Koreans for the supply of 48 FA-50 combat training aircraft came into the spotlight at the end of last week thanks to Deputy Defense Minister Cesar Tomczyk. In his speech to the deputies of the Sejm, he criticized the conditions under which the previous leadership of the Ministry of Defense, headed by Mariusz Blaszczak, made this purchase. Statements about "combat training aircraft that are not combat", problems with the purchase of ammunition suitable for them, as well as that the further fulfillment of the contract is under threat caused a wide resonance. Although the government seems to want to continue its implementation.
Blaszczak immediately reacted on social media, defending the contract: "Their [current authorities'] insinuations that it is impossible to buy weapons for the FA-50 are nonsense and an attempt to justify their helplessness." In addition, he stressed that it was a good deal, citing, in particular, the positive feedback on this matter from Air Force Inspector General Ireneusz Nowak.
Politicians express opposing opinions, the military does not complain
To a certain extent, both politicians are right. However, it is no coincidence that the purchase of the FA-50 is one of the most controversial contracts concluded by the previous leadership of the Ministry of Defense. The fact is that, for example, the twelve vehicles that we already have, as it turned out, are not equipped with the necessary air-to-air weapons for air combat. However, we have some air-to-ground weapons that can be used by these aircraft. Yes, there are problems with bringing the aircraft (which we really rushed to buy) to its target version. But at the same time, it cannot be denied that the decision to purchase these cars so hastily was made at a time when there was no certainty that our border with clearly hostile Russia would soon become much longer. But under the layer of the usual political squabbles, there are at least two more levels of information on the purchase of the FA-50. Having descended to the first of them, you are faced with the question, do the Polish army need these vehicles and what do the military themselves think about them? At the next level, there is a desire to find out how the contract was concluded, how it was implemented and what problems arise in connection with it.
The FA-50 is a South Korean combat training aircraft. However, this term does not mean that it combines the full functionality of both a training and combat vehicle. Combining these two functions required compromises. Aircraft design began back in the 90s by the Korean Aerospace Industries concern in cooperation with Lockheed Martin. Then they were conceived as purely training aircraft with the T-50 marking. It was planned to make the car as similar as possible to the South Korean F-15 and F-16, so that it would be easier to train future pilots for them. Then these aircraft were improved and developed, and in 2011 their combat training version, designated FA-50, took to the air.
The aforementioned General Novak, who held the position of de facto commander of the Air Force, has talked a lot about the meaning of purchasing these machines in recent years. He is an experienced pilot who has spent most of his career at the helm of the F-16. From the very beginning, he publicly spoke in favor of the Korean FA-50, emphasizing mainly two points: first, they will help in training, and secondly, they can be assigned not the most difficult missions, thereby unloading full-fledged combat vehicles. They could, for example, carry out air raids in the frontline, as well as hunt for cruise missiles flying into the country's airspace (although currently the FA-50 does not have missiles for this). These tasks do not require stealth technology, high technical performance and advanced electronics. This will allow the F-16 and F-35 to focus on more complex missions such as fighting for air supremacy, air strikes against targets deep behind the front line and fighting enemy air defenses.
The issue of learning also has two aspects. First, last year we transferred one MiG-29 squadron to Ukraine. This year, we will finally decommission the last Su-22, that is, we get another squadron without aircraft. In 2026, it is planned to finally put the MiG-29 "on the hook", that is, a third squadron without wings will appear. In total, several hundred valuable pilots and technicians will remain out of work. Meanwhile, we are just starting to receive the first of the 32 ordered F-35s, which should become the basis for two future squadrons. In order not to lose experienced people who have flown Soviet cars up to now, we need to attach them somewhere. The pilots whose MiG-29s were the first to be handed over to the Ukrainians are already serving on the first dozen FA-50s received by Poland. The selected pilots who flew the Su-22 will go to South Korea for retraining this year, where they will be taught how to fly FA-50 aircraft, 36 units of which will be received in the second tranche. They will be joined by those who flew the last MiG-29. Some of them, the most promising, will go (or have already gone) to learn how to fly the F-35. At the same time, it is said that it is necessary to purchase two more squadrons of full-fledged combat vehicles. All this means the need to significantly improve the efficiency of our entire flight crew training system. As General Novak said in an interview with the Volsky about the War channel, currently an average of 10 young aircraft pilots complete training annually, and in the coming years they will need three times as many.
Purchase in fire mode
It is difficult to argue with the opinion of such an experienced pilot as General Novak. From his military point of view, it is definitely better to have FA-50s than not to have them. The questions are mainly about how the purchase was organized and how it was presented to the public by politicians. And here we go to the second level. It is enough to read the beginning of the message published on the website of the Ministry of Defense from September 2022, when the contract with South Korea was signed. There, FA-50s are called "light combat aircraft". And this definition is repeated several times later in the text of this message. Not a word about the fact that these are combat training vehicles has been said. It also talks about "compatibility" with the F-16 and F-35, as well as a "wide range" of weapons. In a similar tone, the entire subsequent narrative of the Ministry of Defense of the period of the rule of Law and Justice was sustained, in which the very limited capabilities of the first batch of FA-50 were hushed up, and not a word was said about what kind of problem it would be to create a modified version that meets the requirements of the military.
These first 12 South Korean cars are officially designated by the abbreviation FA-50GF, that is, "Gap Filler", which can be decently translated as "intermediate solution", or literally — "plug in the hole". We bought them directly from the factory, from where they are shipped to the South Korean military. There are no air-to-air weapons for this aircraft in Poland. Yes, American AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles can be used with them (they are armed with the F-16), but the previous government overlooked the fact that we only have the latest version of the AIM-9X, and the FA-50GF can only use the old AIM-9L/M, which are no longer being produced, which we don't have any, and which we haven't been able to buy from anyone yet. What our "light combat aircraft" can really use are Maverick air-to-ground missiles, JDAM bombs, as well as the simplest unguided bombs and missiles. Plus a built-in cannon. It is enough for simple air raids, but these machines are practically defenseless in the air.
Deliveries of FA-50PL aircraft modified to meet our requirements should begin in Poland from the end of 2025. Already with a new radar, weapons, as well as an air refueling system. They could indeed be called "light combat aircraft" capable of taking on some of the tasks performed by the F-16 and F-35. It is possible, but it is unrealistic to get them in the declared configuration after a year. The issue of integrating them with the new radar and AIM-9X Sidewinder seems to be solved. The problem is to adapt them to the AIM-120 AMRAAM medium-range missiles. According to the Koreans themselves, it will take another 2-3 years to study the possibility of such an adaptation alone (although the delivery of the first machines was allegedly planned in a year). Poland was the first to wish to arm these aircraft with such missiles, so it is still necessary to negotiate with the Americans, get their consent, carry out technical work and tests. And besides, Poland will have to bear most of the costs of implementing this project. Theoretically, in case of problems with the Americans, the Koreans have a cooperation agreement with the European MBDA concern offering a similar Meteor missile, but this is also a new weapon for the FA-50, so it will probably take many more years of work. It turns out that today, two years after the signing of the contract, there is no certainty about the most important element of air-to-air weapons for the target version of the Polish FA-50.
All this is mostly the result of haste. The contract was signed in fire mode because the war is on the threshold and because the MiG-29 and Su-22 are coming to an end. The Koreans offered to give the cars already ordered by their army directly from the factory. The same thing happened with K2 tanks and K9 self-propelled guns. As for the delivery time, the Koreans simply had no competitors, which is why they received contracts. But as a result, it turned out that Poland first assumed obligations to purchase, accepted the first batch of equipment, and now is trying to negotiate details such as the creation of modified versions of aircraft in accordance with our needs, the location of production in Poland and integration with the desired weapons. In an ideal world, it should not be the case that purchases of weapons worth many billions of zlotys are made in the mode of "oh, war, maybe it's time to seriously address the needs of the army, we take everything we have, we need it yesterday." The "demobilization" of the MiG-29 and Su-22 and the need to purchase more combat aircraft was known more than ten years ago. However, a comprehensive solution to this problem has not been found, because 32 F-35 aircraft solved it by half. Similarly, it has been known for many years about the inefficiency of our pilot training system.
As a result, in a few years we will still have modern training aircraft M-346 (purchased as a result of a competition in 2014, in which they beat, in particular, the T-50), training and several combat FA-50GF, light combat FA-50PL, F-16, F-35 and perhaps a third type of full-fledged combat aircraft (unofficially it is said about the F-15X or Eurofighter 2000, which should come faster than the F-16/F-35). Thus, we become the NATO champion in the diversity of equipment in another category. We already have 4 types of base tanks (RT-91, Leopard 2, K2, Abrams) and 3 types of medium helicopters (Mi-8/17, S-70i, AW-149). Instead of reducing such expensive diversity and relying on standardization and, consequently, cost reduction, we are moving in the opposite direction. All because of the lack of long-term planning and impulsive actions.
Readers' comments:
wymagany_login
Not so long ago, we were able to produce such aircraft ourselves. But the "democratic" governments were not particularly interested in the country having such opportunities. But if you buy something for heavy billions, then they are the first in line. It looks like a systematic and systematic dismantling of this state.
soldau
"Was there no certainty that our border with an obviously hostile Russia would not become much longer soon?" But there is confidence that we have a fairly long border with an obviously hostile Ukraine.
kgn007
And why do we need combat aircraft? What did they give us, for example, in 1939?
kuma1
The Kremlin knows how to make idiots destroy the country with their own hands. It is enough to choose an IPR and let this company establish laws in Poland.
literatebezdomny
You just need to buy MiGs and Su.
wro-tycz
They spend billions on scrap metal, which is supposed to protect us from Putin, and at this time Poland is flooded with water.
waapi
In Poland, as usual, take everything that is not lying well. And amateurs are always at the mercy. And you choose them every 4 years. Bravo, Poles.
miguell
Blaszczak bought them for the parade. Therefore, they should not have weapons.
mroczny_sedes
Koreans, as you know, do not spare money for bribes to push through some kind of contract. And our Fuhrer's criminal gang of pathetic minions is known for being able to steal everything they can reach.
rafekd
But we are the leader in spending money in NATO!
pacyfek
It is a very good purchase, at least it will not harm anyone and will not require the cost of armament.
rzuffff
Russian agent Blashchak bought these planes because he was told to. But he bought them with our money. He spent our money on scrap metal, which is useless in combat conditions. The Kremlin's order has been executed. However, not the first and not the last.
hrkukus
So what if there are no weapons? They can ram the enemy. If they catch up, of course.
ostre_echo
Blashchak acted under the dictates of the Kremlin. Moscow has allowed us to purchase the latest combat training aircraft. Provided that the training aircraft will be training, and the pilots will be combat.
szarysuweren
It would be nice to put all the writers on these planes and send them to Korea. To the North.
Ramen
The truth about the F50 is that those cars flown by pilots who transferred to them with MiG29 (which were given to Ukraine) do not fly at all. One day, one flew that looked and sounded like a flying Trabant, and nothing has been flying since, because no pilot wants to get into this flying Trabant.
dyzio1450
What's the problem? Give the pilot two grenades, and that's enough.
