Poland opts for Polish-made Black Hawk helicopters for army
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WARSAW- Polish leaders said Monday that the country is buying Polish-made Black Hawk helicopters as it modernizes the army. The announcement comes days after the country scrapped plans to buy 50 French-made military helicopters from Airbus Helicopters for 3.14 billion euros ($3.5 billion), straining ties with Paris.
Prime Minister Beata Szydlo and Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz made the announcement Monday as they visited an aviation factory in Mielec, in southeastern Poland, that was bought several years ago by US producer Sikorsky.
Macieriewicz said that Polish special forces would be able to begin training with the Black Hawks later this year. The modernization of Poland's army became a pressing matter two years ago when Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine, sparking anxiety across central and eastern Europe.
"I am convinced that thanks to this, Polish technologies will develop and Polish industry will develop," Macierewicz said. "We'll be able to say that we are a modern country, and that our army has equipment that ensures that no opponent with threaten us."
