New training helicopters for Poland: Talks with Italy

On Tuesday, 15 September, at the headquarters of the Ministry of National Defence, a meeting took place between the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence of the Republic of Poland, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, and the Minister of Defence of the Italian Republic, Guido Crosetto.

Italy on the Eastern Flank

Shortly after 10:00 am, a press conference began, during which the first topic addressed was today’s shooting down of a Russian drone over Lithuanian territory. The destruction of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was carried out by an Italian fighter jet stationed there as part of the Baltic Air Policing mission. As Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz stated, the meeting with his Italian counterpart also concerned, among other things, further support for Ukraine, which – as the head of the Polish Ministry of National Defence said – is currently at a “very difficult moment.” The situation is further complicated by Russia acquiring new capabilities. “Jet-powered drones are changing its position and tactics,” said Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz.

New helicopters for Poland

“The Italian Minister said during the meeting that ‘a strong Poland means a stronger Italy.’ I am very grateful for that. Poland and Italy do not want to be isolated islands, but to build a stronger Europe and a stronger NATO. Defending the eastern flank is simultaneously the defence of Italy – thank you for putting it that way,” said the head of the Ministry of National Defence, who added that the practical dimension of this cooperation is visible, for example, in the deployment of Italian aircraft or ships to protect the countries of NATO’s eastern flank.

During the conference, the issue of the potential purchase of new training-combat helicopters for the Polish Armed Forces was also raised. “We want to acquire training-combat helicopters as soon as possible, and Italy is an important partner for us in this process. We are entering the final phase of negotiations on this matter. It is very important to us that production takes place in Poland, and I have received such an assurance from the Italian Minister of Defence,” said Kosiniak-Kamysz, who added that such a purchase could be made under the second phase of the SAFE mechanism, which is related to joint procurement – an example of which is the Polish-Spanish cooperation in the acquisition of aerial refuelling aircraft (A330 MRTT).

The indication of Italy as a potential partner for the above investment suggests that the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland may soon be reinforced by AW109M helicopters produced at the PZL-Świdnik plant.

Not only helicopters

The meeting between the Polish and Italian ministers also reportedly concerned the development of capabilities in the field of satellite imagery. Another topic was the potential establishment in Poland of a centre for the NATO pipeline expansion programme (from Germany to Poland). “We are keen for the management centre of this project to be located in Poland, and we can count on Italy’s support during the meetings of NATO defence ministers,” concluded the Deputy Prime Minister of the Polish government.