The Eurofighter consortium believes it has put itself at the front of the line to answer a nascent Polish requirement for combat aircraft, to replace an air force fleet of ageing Soviet-era types.
Although a request for information has yet to be issued – and Eurofighter acknowledges that any contest may be years away – the company is keen to highlight the capability enhancements being introduced to the Typhoon. These include an active electronically scanned array radar and the integration of MBDA's Storm Shadow cruise missile and Brimstone 2 munitions.
Speaking at the MSPO defence show in Kielce, Poland, Joe Parker, director of export at the Eurofighter consortium, says the platform would offer Warsaw a number of advantages, including possible workshare – although not final assembly work – and technology transfer.
"For Poland, Typhoon would bring the operational performance and capabilities it needs, alongside the intellectual technology it would want," he adds.
Presently, the Polish air force inventory includes 36 Sukhoi Su-22s and 31 RAC MiG-29s, and the service has recently embarked on an upgrade programme for a number of both types.
Parker says the Typhoon would initially be offered as a replacement for the Su-22, but that its "swing-role" capability also renders it suitable to take on missions performed by the MiG-29 fleet.
Typhoon production presently stretches out until around 2017 or 2018, notionally giving Warsaw a very tight window in which to order the fourth-generation type. However, Parker is confident the successful conclusion of a number of export campaigns – including with Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and several other undisclosed customers – will prolong production well into the 2020s.
"Poland is one of the countries that is in our export campaign base, and we will look at all the windows when they might potentially procure," he says.
Meetings have already taken place between Eurofighter representatives and Polish defence officials, the consortium says.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
