Airforces - Typhoon school

he Marynarka Wojenna

(Polish Navy) currently

uses one type of fixed-

wing maritime patrol aircraft

(MPA) – the An-28/M28 Bryza –

in three sub-variants that differ

in equipment and designated

role. All are grouped within the

Brygada Lotnictwa Marynarki

Wojennej (BLMW, Naval Aviation

Brigade) which also operates

transport aircraft, anti-submarine

warfare (ASW) helicopters,

maritime search and rescue

(SAR) helicopters and ship-based

rotorcraft that are deployed on

board Poland’s Oliver Hazard

Perry-class guided-missile frigates.

The BLMW’s fixed-wing aviation

component consists of four types

of aircraft: seven An-28B1R (M28

Bryza) MPAs, one An-28B1RM

BIS (Bryza Bis) MPA, two An-28E

ecological monitoring aircraft

and four An-28TD standard

transports. There are also six

types of helicopter in its inventory:

six W-3RM Anakonda, two W-3WA

and two Mi-14PŁ/R maritime SAR

helicopters plus four SH-2G and

eight Mi-14PŁ ASW helicopters.

Four Mi-2s serve for training,

transport and liaison duties.

The fixed-wing MPAs come under

the command of the 44. Baza

Lotnictwa Morskiego (44. BLM, 44th

Maritime Aviation Base) and the

aircraft are stationed at Siemirowice.

Here they are subordinated to

the ‘Kaszubska’ Grupa Lotnicza

(Aviation Group ‘Kaszuby’).

The main tasks of the 44. BLM and

the BLMW as a whole are as follows:

• searching for, tracking and
  destroying submarines either
  independently or with surface ships


• identification and designation of
  maritime targets for Polish ships


• securing the Polish SAR
  responsibility zone


• environmental monitoring of
  the Polish Exclusive Economic
  Zone (EEZ) in the Baltic Sea


• personnel and equipment transport

An-28 variants

Poland’s three MPA sub-variants are

all based on the An-28 airframe and

differ in the following characteristics:

An-28B1R (M28 Bryza) – a patrol

and reconnaissance aircraft based

on the standard Bryza airframe and

equipped with ARS-400 radar to

observe ships, ŁS-10 transmitting

system and a Chelton system

for locating signals from rescue

radios. The crew can drop life rafts

into the sea for survivors. The first

An-28B1R was delivered in 1994

and the remainder in two batches

• three in 1999 and three in 2000.
  The cabin has three stations for
  radar operators and data-transfer

European

maritime patrol

aircraft

Inventory

Aircraft Number

An-28B1R (M28 Bryza) 7

An-28B1RM BIS (Bryza Bis) 1

An-28E 2

Poland

T

Baltic Bryzas

74 // APRIL 2018 #361 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com

European MPAs Part 4

Fleet

Survey