Poland has finalised a deal for eight EADS Casa C295M transports after rejecting a last-minute offer from Antonov for westernised An-32s. As part of the deal EADS will initially acquire 51% of Polish aerospace company PZL Warszawa-Okecie, which will later rise to 85% ownership.
The contract is valued at $212 million and first deliveries are due in mid-2003, with the last transport to be handed over in 2005.
EADS will buy 51% of Okecie for 28.5 million zloty ($6.74 million) with the company due eventually to raise its holding to 85%. The remaining 15% will be owned by the employees.
EADS says it will market Okecie's current products including the PZL-130 Orlik turboprop basic trainer and the PZL-104 Wilga utility aircraft, as well as its range of light, agricultural and fire-fighting aircraft.
As part of the offset deal EADS will transfer component manufacture worth around 125 million zloty to Okecie. Around 30% of the offset programme is direct, according to EADS.
Antonov had teamed with PZL-Mielec to offer An-32s with western engines and avionics at $15 million each, while the Alenia/Lockheed Martin joint venture LMATTS offered the C-27J.
Source: Flight International
