Flight International - January 13, 2015

DEFENCE

flightglobal.com 13-19 January 2015 | Flight International | 17

F-35 chiefs return

fire on ‘baseless’

cannon reporting

DEFENCE P

R

ussia’s air force has received
its first upgraded Tu-95MS
and Tu-160M strategic bombers,
following modernisation work
performed by airframe manufac-
turer Tupolev.
An unspecified number of up-
graded Tu-95MS were returned to
operational use before the end of

2014. The turboprop-powered
      type received ehancements to its
      electronic warfare and targeting
      systems, Tupolev says. According
      to the company, a further 20 ex-
      amples are to be modernised to
      this configuration by 2016.
      Improvements made to the
      supersonic Tu-160 included the

Tupolev

A second phase of Tu-160 modernisation work is set for 2016

Upgraded Russian strategic bombers back on duty

FLEETS DOMINIC PERRY LONDON

“partial replacement” of its avion-

ics and weapons systems. Deliv-

ery of the first modified aircraft

followed a debut flight in the

standard in mid-November 2014.

A second phase of modernisa-

tion work for the variable-

geometry type is scheduled to

begin in 2016, and will include

the integration of uprated

Kuznetsov NK-32 engines, ac-

cording to a report by Russian

news agency Itar-Tass.

Flightglobal’s MiliCAS data-

base records the Russian air

force as having current in-ser-

vice fleets of 58 Tu-95s and 12

Tu-160s, as well as 107 shorter-

range Tu-22Ms.

Development work has also

started on a next-generation

strategic bomber, via Moscow’s

PAK DA programme. Due to be

flown before 2019, the design is

also being headed by Tupolev. ■

COMPETITION DOMINIC PERRY LONDON

Bids in for Polish helicopter contest

AgustaWestland, Airbus and Sikorsky consortia table proposals in pursuit of tri-service deal for 70 multirole rotorcraft

PAYLOAD BARTOSZ GLOWACKI WARSAW

Warsaw signs JASSM weapons deal

Poland’s defence ministry has

signed a $250 million contract to

purchase Lockheed Martin

AGM-158A JASSM weapons for the

nation’s air force. Finalised at

Krzesiny air base last month, the

deal will equip the service’s

Lockheed F-16C/D aircraft.

Lockheed will supply 40 of the

stand-off-range missiles under the

contract, with a first batch of weap-

ons to be delivered in 2017.

The manufacturer will also provide

two instrumented test weapons, plus

inert training rounds, support equip-

ment and personnel training.

The Polish air force’s fighters will

also undergo an operational

flightplan upgrade to the M6.

software standard to enable inte-

gration of the JASSM.

Under the terms of the Foreign

Military Sales deal, an initial $

million payment was made by the

end of 2014. A further $100 million

will be transferred this year, and the

remainder of the contract sum paid

in 2017. ■

Airbus Helicopters

The EC725 is in the running, alongside the AW149 and S-70i/B

T

hree bidders will fight it out
in a contest to supply 70 mul-
tirole helicopters to Poland’s
armed forces, after Sikorsky back-
tracked on its threat to withdraw
from the process.
Warsaw on 30 December con-
firmed that consortia led by Air-
bus Helicopters, PZL Swidnik –
the Polish subsidiary of
AgustaWestland – and Sikorsky
had all submitted bids to the de-
fence ministry.
Responses to its tri-service re-
quirement had previously been
scheduled for delivery by the end
of November, but were pushed

back by one month at the request

of AgustaWestland and Sikorsky.

The latter’s PZL Mielec subsidi-

ary had suggested in October that

it would not table a bid unless

Poland altered its terms for the

contest, which stipulated the de-

livery of a single aircraft type.

The defence ministry says it

will examine the competing

EC725, AW149 and S-70i Black

Hawk/S-70B Seahawk before

choosing which rotorcraft will be

taken forward for testing. Addi-

tional study of the industrial off-

sets proposed by the bidders will

also be carried out, it says, ahead

of a potential contract award in

the second half of 2015.

Shortly before the ministry’s an-

nouncement, AgustaWestland

signed several tentative offset

deals with local companies, which

it says are worth around €800 mil-

lion ($954 million) and will form

part of an overall package amount-

ing to “billions” of euros.

AgustaWestland plans to work

with Fabryka Broni Radom, Mili-

tary Aviation Works No. 1 in

Łódź, Military Aviation Works

No. 2 in Bydgoszcz and ZM

Tarnów to deliver as many as 50

offset projects.

These include the fabrication

of helicopter subassemblies and

the design, production and over-

haul of weapons and weapon

systems for the AW149.

The company says it also will

establish “a global production

and development centre” for the

8.3t type in Poland if it wins the

deal, “opening up global export

opportunities”. ■

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