Polish military aviation centenary
42 // JULY 2018 #364 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com1 BLWL’s specialised mission is to destroy
enemy armour. Meanwhile, 1 BLWL’s 2
Eskadra Śmigłowców (2nd Helicopter
Flight) at Inowrocław is also responsible for
personnel recovery missions. The unit has
long co-operated with equivalent units in
NATO, and teams from the squadron are able
to form part of a personnel recovery task force
(PRTF). Among the more unusual assignments
are the electronic intelligence missions
conducted by the 3 Eskadra Śmigłowców of
7 DLot, while a dedicated flight at Pruszcz
Gdański employs the Mi-2Ch for chemical
reconnaissance and laying smokescreens.Overseas action
Participation in missions abroad has led to
significant changes within the Polish Army,
including army aviation. The 25 BKPow
and 1 BLWL became the first Polish units
to participate in three foreign missions
simultaneously. The first of these was Iraq,
where the Independent Air Assault Group
(IAAG) was founded in 2003. It was established
within the Multinational Division Central-South
(MND-CS), based in Kut and Al Diwaniyah.
The battalion-strength group constituted
a reserve for the commander of the MND-
CS and conducted quick-reaction missions
(usually with troops on board), reconnaissance,
transferring special forces and transport.
Initially, W-3s and Mi-8s were sent to Iraq, but
when the requirement emerged to strengthen
the strike force, the group was expanded and
Mi-24Ds added. These helicopters came
exclusively from Pruszcz but were flown by
various crews. To begin with, consideration was
given to transferring the rotorcraft by air to Iraq,
with several stopovers. However, the aircraft
ultimately reached their destination by ship.
The only serious mishap in country was
a W-3 accident in December 2004, in
which three crew members were killed.
It was originally expected that the Mi-24Ds
used in the mission would be eventually handed
over to the emerging Iraqi armed forces, but
in the end, only three out of the 12 helicopters
were left in the Middle East at the end of their
service lives. The IAAG disbanded in 2008,
coinciding with the tenth and final rotation
of the Polish military contingent in Iraq.It is not widely known that Polish Army
Aviation was also involved in Chad, where
three Mi-17s from the 1 DLot equipped an Air
Group under the auspices of the European
Union Force (EUFOR) and the United Nations
Mission in the Central African Republic and
Chad (MINURCAT). Polish soldiers took
part in three rotations to Chad, two of which
involved rotorcraft, in 2008 and 2009.
Another IAAG was created during the third
rotation of the Polish Military Contingent
(PMC) in Afghanistan under Poland’s Task
Force White Eagle. Equipped with Mi-24W
and Mi-17 helicopters, its role was to
provide transportation independent from
US forces and increase the mobility of
Polish troops. The helicopters arrived at
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)
headquarters at Bagram Airfield in summer
2008 and were initially stationed here.
However, the distance from the area
of responsibility and the need to
refuel at forward operating bases
(FOBs) extended intervention
time. In response, the IAAG was deployed
to Polish Task Force Headquarters at FOB
Ghazni in January 2009, during the fourthPMC rotation. It remained here until 2014
when the helicopters returned to Poland.
The IAAG’s Mi-24s suffered several mishaps
in Afghanistan, but most were recovered and
returned to service by the Wojskowe Zakłady
Lotnicze Nr 1 (WZL-1, Military Aviation Works
1) at Łódź. Only one solider (a gunner) was
wounded during operations over the country.25 BKPow equipment
The 25 BKPow inventory is based around
the W-3 and Mi-8/17. A few dozen W-3s,
mainly of the W-3W version, and later the
W-3WA, were delivered to two flights of the
7 DLot. Unfortunately, these helicopters are
in need of significant updates (the upgraded
Głuszec aircraft all ended up at Inowrocław).
However, some have been adapted for use
with PNL-3 night-vision goggles (NVGs).
The W-3s of the 3 Eskadra Śmigłowców
are interesting. Three of them
are signals intelligence (SIGINT)
aircraft in a classified configuration
designated as ŚRR – Śmigłowców
Rozpoznania Radioelektronicznego (radio-
electronic reconnaissance helicopter). The
fourth is the sole W-3PSOT, originally
A CSAR mission in progress. A pair of W-3PLs
at a landing zone with members of an extraction
forces team on board. It seems that no more
Głuszec helicopters will be converted, leaving 1
BLWL with just seven examples. Rumours about a
desire to purchase further (new-build) Głuszecs are
unconfi rmed. Bartek BeraSerial 0816 is the rarely seen W-3PSOT – a W-3A
modifi ed with a surveillance turret on the starboard
side of the nose. Bartek Bera