NINETY-SIX AIRCRAFT AND THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUSTAIN THEM

Wojskowe Zakłady Lotnicze Nr 1 S.A., the Military Central Bureau of Design and Technology S.A. and Boeing have signed offset implementation agreements establishing long-term industrial cooperation to support the sustainment, maintenance and ground support of Poland’s AH-64E Apache fleet. The signing took place at the WZL-1 facility in Łódź, attended by representatives of the Polish Ministry of National Defence, the Government of the Republic of Poland and the Polish Armed Forces.

The scale of what Poland is taking on gives the agreements their significance. The country has contracted for 96 AH-64E Apache helicopters. It is currently the nineteenth nation to operate the type and will, on delivery, become the world’s second-largest Apache operator after the United States – from a global fleet of approximately 1,300 aircraft. A fleet of that size cannot be sustained through overseas depot arrangements without accepting availability and cost penalties that compound over the decades an attack helicopter fleet remains in service, which is why the sustainment question is being settled alongside the acquisition rather than after it.

WHAT EACH PARTY WILL DO

Under the agreements, Boeing will support WZL-1 as it begins supporting the AH-64E for the Polish Armed Forces. The centre will provide maintenance, repair and overhaul services including organisational and intermediate-level inspections and repairs, as well as selected depot-level component repairs. Separately, Boeing and WCBKT will evaluate selected WCBKT ground support equipment for use with the Apache, assessing the feasibility of Polish engineering solutions in support of the aircraft and informing their future role in the sustainment programme. Boeing will leverage its sustainment expertise to deliver technical insight, resources and training to both companies’ workforces.

The ground support equipment element is the more unusual of the two. Offset arrangements commonly transfer maintenance work to the purchasing nation; evaluating the purchasing nation’s own equipment designs for use on the platform is a further step, opening the possibility that Polish-designed GSE could be adopted rather than imported. Roman Fiszer, Chief Executive of WCBKT, said the agreement represented an opportunity to develop capabilities and strengthen the company’s position as a national centre of expertise in the design, manufacture and servicing of ground support equipment for modern military platforms, and that using equipment developed and manufactured in Poland alongside the potential of Polish industry would enhance logistical support efficiency and strengthen the operational independence of the Polish Armed Forces.

Jacek A. Goszczyński, Chief Executive of WZL-1, said establishing the largest Apache support infrastructure in Europe was both a responsibility and a natural extension of the company’s core business, and that the agreement would enable it to support the Polish Armed Forces and significantly enhance their operational capabilities. Marc-Olivier Sabourin, Vice-President EICLA and Training Solutions at Boeing Global Services, said the agreements marked a significant milestone in Boeing’s partnership with Poland and demonstrated a commitment to supporting the Polish Armed Forces through in-country sustainment capabilities, building the industrial framework, technical expertise and workforce needed to support the fleet for decades while strengthening Poland’s sovereign defence capabilities.

TWO COMPANIES INSIDE THE POLISH ARMAMENTS GROUP

Both signatories are members of Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa, the Polish Armaments Group. WZL-1 operates facilities in Łódź and Dęblin and has for more than 80 years specialised in maintenance, repair, overhaul, modernisation and servicing of aircraft and related systems for the Polish Armed Forces and international customers. It has recently signed strategic agreements associated with Poland’s acquisition programmes for both the Apache and M1A1/M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks, produces launch canisters for PAC-3 MSE missiles, and supports Poland’s M-346 Master advanced jet trainer fleet.

WCBKT has delivered projects supporting the Polish Armed Forces for more than 55 years and has since the early 1990s been the only domestic manufacturer of ground support equipment in Poland, specialising in design, production and maintenance of equipment for both military and civil aviation. Boeing notes that the Apache continues to demonstrate its ability to adapt to missions including Counter-UAS and to absorb new technologies against evolving threats.