Beginning of Polish F-16s duty

[Pilotasso]

Gripens will be using AESA in the future. Another factor to take in account is that the Swedish have the gripen as their only plane in service. and they can fire in linked mode with ground based radars.

[Sundowner.pl]

Yes, and the Swedish Air Force system is very interesting… but very different from the NATO one.

We have only few bigger bases, and roads are almost no longer used as stopgap airstrips, so the planes range is very crucial to us. We also need some offensive capabilities like precision bombing, radar and SAM busting etc. – things that are not considered by Swedish air force which is defensive by nature (the country is neutral for over a century). The cooperation with other NATO countries is also crucial, especially for aboard missions, like air policing over Lithuania. The F-16 can work with AWACS planes which we have to our disposal. There is also something called AN/APG-80 waiting for buyers other than UAE… There is nothing Gripen have, or can do that F-16 can’t, but there are still things F-16 can do which Gripen can’t.

 

Anyway with F-22A and F-35 on the horizon both F-16 and JAS-39 may be considered obsolete. But with F-16 we can hop in to another LM fighter with little friction, Gripen have no successor, and this count too.

[Pilotasso]

Anyway with F-22A and F-35 on the horizon both F-16 and JAS-39 may be considered obsolete. But with F-16 we can hop in to another LM fighter with little friction, Gripen have no successor, and this count too.

 

JAS 39 underpowered yes but not obsolete any time soon. It does have small RCS and as long as its radar technoloy stays on par, the weapons it uses specialy the meteor and smart cockpit layout will keep making it a viable and never to be underestimated fighter craft.

 

F-16 has som much room for improvement except for block 60 wich I doubt will be sold to many more countries when its price is nearly the same as the F-35.

 

My country will keep the falcons for another 15 or so years, after that either we dont replace them at all or we will buy F-35's from the cheapest source avaiable, surplus or excedents from fleet reductions.

[Shaman]

Veni Vidi Vici

 

w00t!

 

I've been there, and seen everything. :thumbsup:

 

Both landings and ceremony.

I have photos but because I didn't use digital camera I still need to develop those photographs. Anyway my camera failed after like 15 shots :mad: I have some photos in flight, and both touchdowns. But none on while planes were on display on the ground.

 

for now I can just shiow you little MMS photo I made with my mobile

 

somebody buy me digital camera next time ;) I'm still using old school Practica I really like with changeable lenses.

its annoing to wait 1h for them to develop photos, so I just left them at store and will pick em up on CD later, maybe tommorow.

[Ukr_Alex]

/\/\/\Do share mate, congrats to Poland on the purchase ;)

 

 

Great machine I just think its ugly :P In comparison to the 29 anyway :P

[thesystem]

Finaly!

The polish airforce starts to be more western!:thumbup:

Now the Kub and the Buks and the Neva's!

[Pilotasso]

Western or not whats important that the aircraft are good. F-16 is the right plane for a country with Polands economic capability and dimentions.

[thesystem]

Western or not whats important that the aircraft are good. F-16 is the right plane for a country with Polands economic capability and dimentions.

 

I know that the performance is what counts, but when i speak to polish soldiers they want to form to the west.

 

And yes, the Mig is strating to be out dated and the F16 was the best option for them.

[Pilotasso]

Polish F-16 in make or break aerobatics.

http://www.patricksaviation.com/videos/Patriot/1186/

 

What engine does it have? is it the 229? man that thing flies like on steroids.

Seems wiked fast to accelerate from slow speeds directly into vertical.

Try that fast high AOA barrel roll (2:10s) on a SU or a mig and see where you end up. ;)

[Perry]

Polish F-16 in make or break aerobatics.

http://www.patricksaviation.com/videos/Patriot/1186/

 

Nice vid, it seems that this video is played fast forward LOL. Although I mean that as a joke, I wouldn't dismissed the possibility either.

[504MrWolf]

cool shaman.........looks cold :)

[VMFA117_Poko]

Big thanks Shaman D double G. Waiting for Your photo-raport. I wish me be there...

[some1]

Several photos, good quality but rather low resolution:

 

http://www.wp.mil.pl/galeria_wiecej.php?lang=1&idgaleria=608

[F15CEagle]

Well,it's very nice to see as new NATO countries manage to upgrade their Air Force with brand new western aircraft :thumbup:

[Olgerd]

"Poland asks U.S. manufacturer to explain problems with new F-16s

November 9, 2006

Poland has asked Lockheed Martin of the United States to give details of

the technical problems that forced brand new F-16 fighter jets to turn

around when they were en route for delivery in Poland, a defense

official said.

"We want information on the nature of the problems that occurred when

the airplanes were en route to Poland," said Piotr Lukaszewicz, the

Polish defence ministry official handling the procurement contract for a

total of 48 F-16s.

On Monday, the first four F-16s ordered by Poland had to turn around

when they were over the Atlantic, after technical problems were detected

in one of the aircraft.

On the second attempt to fly the high-technology fighter jets to Poland,

a fresh set of problems forced two of the planes to land at a base in

Iceland. The others flew on to Germany.

Two F-16s eventually arrived at Poland's Krzesiny air base, near the

western city of Poznan, on Wednesday afternoon. The other two jets were

scheduled to arrive on Thursday.

"We are in the dark as to the nature of the problems and we do not want

to speculate before we have had an answer from the Americans,"

Lukaszewicz said.

Reports in the Polish press have hypothesized that the problems were

linked to in-flight refuelling or the fighter jets' positioning

mechanism.

At the end of 2002, Lockheed Martin won the 3.5 billion dollar (2.9

billion euro) contract to help Poland bring its ageing air force fleet

of Soviet-era MiG-21s and MiG-29s up to the standards of the North

Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), which Poland had joined three years

earlier.

British-Swedish company BAE Systems-SAAB and France's Dassault Aviation

had also fought hard for the contract, proposing respectively the JAS-39

Gripen and the Mirage 2000-5.

Under the F-16 deal, which was the most costly ever inked by Poland, a

total of 16 aircraft are meant to be delivered by the end of this year.

A ceremony on Thursday at the Krzesiny base to trumpet the four F-16s'

arrival is scheduled to be attended by Polish President Lech Kaczynski;

Defence Minister Radoslaw Sikorski; Polish military chief, General

Franciszek Gagor; U.S. Ambassador to Poland Victor Ashe; General William

Hobbins, commander of the U.S. Air Forces in Europe, and several other

U.S. and Polish officials."

 

[Pilotasso]

"Poland asks U.S. manufacturer to explain problems with new F-16s

November 9, 2006

Poland has asked Lockheed Martin of the United States to give details of

the technical problems that forced brand new F-16 fighter jets to turn

around when they were en route for delivery in Poland, a defense

official said.

"We want information on the nature of the problems that occurred when

the airplanes were en route to Poland," said Piotr Lukaszewicz, the

Polish defence ministry official handling the procurement contract for a

total of 48 F-16s.

On Monday, the first four F-16s ordered by Poland had to turn around

when they were over the Atlantic, after technical problems were detected

in one of the aircraft.

On the second attempt to fly the high-technology fighter jets to Poland,

a fresh set of problems forced two of the planes to land at a base in

Iceland. The others flew on to Germany.

Two F-16s eventually arrived at Poland's Krzesiny air base, near the

western city of Poznan, on Wednesday afternoon. The other two jets were

scheduled to arrive on Thursday.

"We are in the dark as to the nature of the problems and we do not want

to speculate before we have had an answer from the Americans,"

Lukaszewicz said.

Reports in the Polish press have hypothesized that the problems were

linked to in-flight refuelling or the fighter jets' positioning

mechanism.

At the end of 2002, Lockheed Martin won the 3.5 billion dollar (2.9

billion euro) contract to help Poland bring its ageing air force fleet

of Soviet-era MiG-21s and MiG-29s up to the standards of the North

Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), which Poland had joined three years

earlier.

British-Swedish company BAE Systems-SAAB and France's Dassault Aviation

had also fought hard for the contract, proposing respectively the JAS-39

Gripen and the Mirage 2000-5.

Under the F-16 deal, which was the most costly ever inked by Poland, a

total of 16 aircraft are meant to be delivered by the end of this year.

A ceremony on Thursday at the Krzesiny base to trumpet the four F-16s'

arrival is scheduled to be attended by Polish President Lech Kaczynski;

Defence Minister Radoslaw Sikorski; Polish military chief, General

Franciszek Gagor; U.S. Ambassador to Poland Victor Ashe; General William

Hobbins, commander of the U.S. Air Forces in Europe, and several other

U.S. and Polish officials."

 

 

 

^^^^Just a note here:

 

There are problems with the Eurofighter in assembly lines. There were problems when the gripen was deliverd to check republic. There were problems after MLU deliveries in Portugal, there were problems with chinese assembled Su-30's, there were problems with the F-22 computers and the list goes on and on. These misshaps do not surprise me and by far it is of no indication of the aircrafts quality.

Usualy they are fixed after all parts clear their edges in use.

[Sundowner.pl]

One of Murphy’s rule say: "if something can go wrong - it will"

and a modern fighter jet is very complicated piece of machinery... :)

 

Just a side note: There was scheduled a flyby off two Fulcrums during the Thursday's ceremony, but they never reached Poznan, because of malfunction of one emergency control lights in MiG-29UB which light up in flight indicating engine problems.

[Skopro_PL]

i can totally agree on that there are problems with fighters,but i have to say that you point out and say that about the su-30 and eurofighter, and the SAAB, these i can understand,the MLU i'm 50/50 on ..if your saying that these problems occured later on in service i can agree with what you said, but the viper has been in service for a very long time,longer than all those examples(except the MLU), and to have these problems on the first batch of new planes with "proven technology" i would be a little worried..although the plane has alot of new technologies that still need bugs worked out.. but the report of the fuel system breaking down is troublesome to me..we'll see..although i love the viper alot and wanted Poland to get them since i was 16, i dont know if it was the right decision..Poland dosent have and endless budget like the US has, and these planes need alot of matinence..I can say that everytime i go on f-16.net i hear about a viper skidding on the runway because the landing gear collapsed, or one crashing because of engine failure, i for one would honestly have gone with the Hornet.. 2 engines,better landing gear and a few other i wount get into, i believe that the hornet was offered and than retracted by the states..anyway overall im happy that we have the viper and im hoping it turns out well for the Polish air force.. time will tell...

[nscode]

I would suspect that the planes had a major overhaul before being sold, and as far as problems go, that is just like it being brand new.

[bSr.LCsta]

from A.net

 

heres a good pic

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1136415/L/

[Pilotasso]

Some people are definatly NOT happy with the delivery of F-16's to poland:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/theworld/2006/November/theworld_November343.xml&section=theworld&col=

 

 

Quote:

(AFP) 10 November 2006

 

MOSCOW - Russia has sent anti-aircraft systems to Belarus in retaliation against the delivery to Poland of US-made F-16 warplanes, a source in the Moscow-led Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) said on Friday.

 

“Anticipating the arrival of the F-16s in Poland, Russia has sent to Belarus four S-300 anti-aircraft systems which have already been put into service,” according to a source at the headquarters of the anti-aircraft defence alliance of the CIS, quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency.

 

The CIS is made up of the former members of the Soviet Union less the three Baltic states.

 

The alliance was set up in 1995 by 10 CIS members (all bar Azerbaijan and Moldova) to protect the air borders of the former Soviet republics.

 

On Thursday Poland took delivery of the first four of the 48 F-16 fighters it has ordered from US plane-maker Lockheed Martin.

[Skopro_PL]

yeah read about that on a few fourms. its just politics like my friend said,not too worried about it,but it is kinda funny..there was a discussion about an extra antenna under the air intake, someone had stated it was an s-300 ecm system..dont know,but i guess if we wanted to we could see how well it works:D

[Sundowner.pl]

The rounded antennas on the tail, wings and under the intake, are parts of AN/ALQ-178(v)5 Rapport III system. IIRC it was design by US, Israeli an Turkey to counter the S-300. :music_whistling:

[Ukr_Alex]

oh well, why did they bother? Who is Poland going to attack to the East?

 

They are best friends with Ukraine, and I doubt anyone would want to attack Belarus...

 

 

ahh politics :music_whistling:

[VMFA117_Poko]

oh well, why did they bother? Who is Poland going to attack to the East?

 

They are best friends with Ukraine, and I doubt anyone would want to attack Belarus...

 

 

ahh politics :music_whistling:

:). It's all about offset. Poland more likely has bought a technology on the first place - not an agressor aircraft.