Warsaw - DaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG (Dasa, Munich) will upgrade the 22 MiG-29 aircraft flown by the Polish Air Force to western standards in preparation for the country's entry into NATO.
This was agreed in a contract signed by Dasa's Military Aircraft Division and the Polish Air Force in Warsaw on Monday. Poland has thus chosen the least costly way of integrating its air forces into NATO with European assistance. The retrofits are to be carried out under Dasa management, the major part of the work being undertaken by the Polish Air Force at the WZL 2 plant in Bydgoszcz.
Prior to joining NATO, Poland needs to adapt its weapon systems to the standards of the Western Alliance. For the NATO members-to-be, the modernisation and adaptation of existing MiG-29 aircraft is a cost-effective alternative to the procurement of western fighter aircraft, which would entail high expenditure. Dasa therefore provides a welcome solution by applying the know-how it acquired when modernising the German MiG-29s inherited from the former East German Air Force.
"I am extremely pleased with the announced cooperation with our industry since this sends out a positive signal. By opting for the modification of its MiG-29s in order to bring its air forces up to NATO standards, Poland is exploiting in the best economic manner possible the unique expertise offered by Dasa. And, in addition, Poland has preserved its opportunity to procure new aircraft at a later date," commented Dasa's President and CEO Dr. Manfred Bischoff.
Together with the German Ministry of Defence, Dasa suggests a concept for cooperation with all the central and east European states who use the MiG-29. In a joint cooperation, solutions will jointly be sought to problems concerning logistic and technical support for the aircraft. This type of cooperation is a basic prerequisite for closer ties between those states and western Europe. Further MiG user states are Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and the Slovak Republic.
