The outgoing Polish government has signed an agreement selecting a consortium of Israeli companies to supply weapons and avionics for the planned PZL-Swidnik Huzar attack helicopter.
The agreement was signed with the Israeli Government on 13 October, after more than two years of controversial negotiations, which were suspended in the run up to Poland's 21 September parliamentary elections.
The programme has been in the Polish media spotlight for some time, with frequent questions raised over the wisdom of choosing the new Rafael NT-D anti-tank missile, which is still under development, over the options on offer.
In the run-up to the elections, Polish president Aleksander Kwasniewski promised that the Rafael missile would be test fired "on Polish soil, under Polish conditions" before any commitment was made. He was trying to quash opposition rumours that the NT-D had already been selected by the ruling ex-Communist Democratic Left Alliance (SLD).
Now it appears that the deal has been rushed through by the defeated SLD government, which will no longer have to face the political fallout. A new, centre-right government is to be formed by Solidarity Electoral Action, whose candidate Jerzy Buzek is expected to be elected prime minister by parliament, replacing current premier Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz.
The Israeli consortium includes avionics suppliers Elbit and EL OP alongside Rafael, whose NT-D is based on the Spike anti-tank missile. Israel was competing against an offer from Boeing, initially based on the Hellfire II missile, although the US company later offered to integrate any missile the Polish Government cared to choose. The Israeli side refused to release its missile technology if it did not also win the avionics contract. Euromissile was also competing, offering the HOT 2T missile which did not meet the Polish 6km (3nm) range requirement.
The NT-Dwas test-fired in Israel in January in the presence of a delegation of Polish observers, although the detailed test results were never officially released by the Polish Government, and unofficial reports of the missile's test performance were contradictory. According to Elbit, the Government-level agreement now only leaves commercial contracts to be signed between Polish airframe manufacturer PZL-Swidnik, electronics manufacturer Mesko, and the Israeli consortium before the $600 million programme goes ahead.
According to senior Israeli industry sources, the fact that the Polish Government is in transition must be considered. "The agreement is a giant step towards the beginning of the upgrade but there is still a lot to do before we can begin working," says the source. The Polish armed forces want to buy 100 Huzars, which are based on the PZL-Swidnik W-3 Sokol airframe, and about 2,000 anti-tank missiles.
Source: Flight International