The modern Air Force of Poland. Interception of Russian aircraft

Any modern developed state pays the utmost attention to protecting not only its land borders, but also control over the heavenly space. That is why the Polish Air Force is one of the most powerful arms in this European power. The current leadership of the country perfectly understands that without proper defense of the sky, the protection of state integrity and sovereignty is simply inconceivable. This article will be dedicated to the Polish Air Force. We'll talk about them in more detail.

Brief information

The Polish Air Force was created already in the far from us 1918 in parallel with the proclamation of the independence of the state. These troops took part in the war of Poland and Soviet Russia.

After the Germans occupied Poland in 1939, its aviation became part of the British Air Force, and a little later - in the Polish People's Army, which was formed on the territory of the USSR.

Its current name - Siły Powietrzne - the Polish Air Force received on July 1, 2004, and is worn to this day.

Historical digression

On the first day of September 1939 there were two air battles, which, in fact, gave the start to the beginning of the Second World War. It was then that the Polish Air Force, whose photos are shown below, first showed their strength and power.

Captain Mieczyslaw Medvedcky with his winged sub-lieutenant Vladislav Gnysh - fled to the air in alarm and saw before them a German bomber returning from a combat mission. Noticing that he was being persecuted, the pilot Yu-87B opened fire on the plane of Mechislav and knocked him down. In response, the lieutenant went down and found two more fascist aircraft - Do-17E. Vladislav decided to attack and eventually shot down two enemy cars. This was the beginning of the war between fascist Germany and Poland.

Before the beginning of this bloody multi-year massacre, aviation in Poland was not a separate military unit. Almost 750 aircraft of the most diverse types, which were consolidated into six aviation regiments, were based by battalions at bases near Krakow, Warsaw, Poznan, Lida, Vilno, Torun and Lviv. In those days, aviation in the Polish state was regarded as a secondary force. Therefore, in July 1939, the country's leadership decided to transfer most of the military aircraft to subordinate land forces with the simultaneous formation of the remaining aircraft bomber and fighter brigades. However, the reorganization actually began only in the last decade of August and went badly. The repair base was not adapted to the innovations, the spare parts and fuel supply system functioned very poorly.

Thus, initially the Polish Air Force in the Second World War with the Nazis did not play a key role for one simple reason: they simply were not prepared for the challenge thrown by Germany, developed in military terms.

Defensive War

In the period of 1939 an important role in the confrontation with the Germans was played by the Polish fighter squad, which consisted of two divisions, each of which, in turn, had two squadrons. In the brigade, there were three dozen R-11s fighters, 15 15R-11a aircraft, 10 sufficiently worn R-7a and a communication aircraft - RVD-8. The brigade was commanded by the hero of the First World War, the fighter pilot Colonel Stefan Pavlikovsky, who initiated the creation of a separate fighter unit.

The brigade began its combat work on the first day of the war. About 7 in the morning from the runway 52 interceptor fighter jumped into the sky. It was this group that attacked the German bombers He-111, flying under the cover of Me-110.

During the first six days of the war, Polish pilots were able to shoot down 38 enemy bombers. Virtually the main task of the brigade was the air defense of Warsaw. As the main tactic of Polish fighters, ambushes were chosen on the route of German bombers. The active actions of the Polish Air Force continued only a week. At the same time, the number of combat sorties was greatly reduced.

Losses

In the battles, 52 fighters were lost. Directly on the ground, the Poles lost 36 R-7 and R-11. Thirteen Los bombers and two dozen Karas light bombers, five communications aircraft and one transport bomber were also destroyed. In total, the Polish army lost 357 aircraft. As for the German Air Force, in September 1939 they missed 285 aircraft, including not only fighters and bombers, but also communication, transport, and naval aircraft. In many respects, because of such serious losses, Hitler suffered an attack on France only in 1940.

Northern Group of Forces

After the end of the war, by the decision of the Soviet leadership, a special grouping of troops was established, based in the town of Brzeg:

The composition of the Air Force Brigade (Brzeg, Poland) in different years of its existence included:

• The 164th Independent Guards Kerch reconnaissance aviation regiment of the Order of the Red Banner. This unit was on the base from the end of 1958 to August 1, 1990. The armament of the regiment was represented by such aircraft: Mig-25 RB, MiG-25 BM, Su-24MR.
• 151st Independent aviation regiment of electronic warfare. It was formed in the summer of 1984 on the basis of the 151st separate squadron. The regiment was deployed on the base in the period 1960-1989. As weapons in different years, MiG-21R, Yak-28PP aircraft were used. The main task of the regiment was to cover groups of shock front-line aircraft and complete destruction of enemy radar. For the establishment of active and passive interference, the Yak-28 PP was used. The summer of 1989 the regiment was transferred to the Belarusian airfield "Shchuchino".
• The 55th Separate Sevastopol Helicopter Regiment. Was located on the base from 1981 to 1989. The units were designated Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters.
• 871 Pomeranian Fighter Regiment of Aviation. It was based from 1989 to 1990.

Interception

At the end of July 2016, there was an unpleasant incident involving the Russian. As stated by the Ministry of Defense of Poland, the Air Force of the Republic intercepted a Russian aircraft that illegally crossed the airspace of the state. The department noted that to intercept the vessel were raised in the air US-made aircraft F-16, which carried out the escort aircraft.

As it turned out, the Polish Air Force intercepted a light-engine aircraft from the Russian Federation, which, according to unofficial data, was heading to the city of Radom to participate in subsequent aerial acrobatics competitions. Such close attention to small aircraft was riveted because during the last week of July there were severe restrictions on flights for small aircraft in Poland due to the fact that the Pope Francis, who participated in the World Catholic Youth Days, was in the country.

Also, the press secretary of the defense ministry noted that after the Polish Air Force intercepted a Russian plane, his pilot was told by radio and using gestures what he had to do. As a result, the ship landed at the airport of Radom and was sent to the aviation hangar, and its pilot was detained by the local police. In addition, the Polish military pointed to the fact that the Polish Air Force intercepted a Russian airplane because it entered the restricted area without first obtaining a special permit for this. Despite the media's active interest in this incident, the Ministry of Defense did not provide more detailed information. In many ways, therefore, the news that the Polish Air Force intercepted a Russian aircraft did not immediately become available to the public.

Our days

The Polish Air Force 2015 is almost identical to today's. It should be noted that this country at this time is the only one in the world where both MiG-29 and F-16 are in service simultaneously. And the Poles acquired all the Germans and Czechs MiG-29 already available after the collapse of the Soviet Union. There are 32 such planes in Poland.

As for the F-16, these fighters are new, specially built by the US specifically for the Poles in the period 2003-2004. This situation is exposed by the Polish Air Force, whose composition we are considering, in a very favorable light, since these F-16s are practically one of the new machines in the world of this modification, with the exception of only a few planes from other countries.

Many of us can think about why the United States put airplanes on Poland better than itself. Here the answer is quite simple. Considering the fact that Poland is on the front eastern edge of the NATO military bloc, which shows all signs of an aggressive-offensive strategy in its development, it is quite easy to understand the reason for such concern and attention of Americans about their European partners directly bordering on Russia.

Also in service with Poland are:

• 16 pieces CASA C-295 M - Spanish-made aircraft.
• 5 pieces C-130E Hercules - manufactured in the US military transport aircraft.
• 23 pieces PZL M28B Bryza TD - Polish aircraft.
• 28 pieces PZL-130TC-1 Orlik - Polish training aircraft.
• 32 pieces TS-11 Iskra bis DF - training aircraft.
• 2 pieces Embraer ERJ 175 - VIP transport (Brazil).

The helicopter fleet of Poland is represented by such machines:

• Mi-8 - 9 pieces.
• Mi-17 - 8 pieces.
• PZL Mi-2 - 16 pieces.
• PZL Sokół - 21 pieces.
• PZL SW-4 Puszczyk - 24 pieces.

Writing off old aircraft

In the period until 2016, the Su-22 aircraft were decommissioned, from which Poland refused. This is due to the fact that both the moral and physical resources of these aircrafts were completely exhausted, and the leadership of the country did not see any sense in their reconstruction.

Reconstruction

The first modernized MiG-29 entered the arsenal of the Polish Air Force in July 2013. This plane was assigned the onboard number 89, and the place of its permanent location was the military base, forty kilometers from Warsaw.

In general, 16 aircraft of this type were modernized. All necessary work was done by the WZL-2 plant, with which a contract worth about $ 40 million was signed. Thanks to this technical improvement, the machines will last till 2028. Particular attention during the re-equipment was paid to the navigation system, radio station and other on-board equipment.

At the end of 2015, the Polish Ministry of Defense decided to organize a tender, the purpose of which was the purchase of nine RD-33 aircraft engines of the second series, serving to equip the MiG-29.

The first three engines will be delivered during 2016, and the latter should be received by the Poles in 2018. The main problem is that the second series of this engine has nowhere been produced by anyone, and therefore a power plant of such a model will soon be almost impossible to obtain, because now the time has come for third-generation engines. Therefore, Poland is even considering the purchase of revamped engines, the overhaul period of which should be at least 350 hours, and the technical resource should be at least 700 hours. At the same time, the engine supplier will be required to provide a full-fledged guarantee that the plants will operate 200 accident-free hours or two calendar years without incident.

Technology from Italy

In July 2016, the Polish media reported that the first M-346 aircraft was successfully tested in Italy, which was built for a special order for Poland.

On the runway the car was solemnly transported on July 6. It happened in Lombardy. Initially, the aircraft were marked with Polish Air Force signs, but immediately before departure the ship's side was completely cleared from them in order to avoid violation of local legislation and the creation of additional unnecessary tension.

The contract with the Italian company was concluded in the amount of 280 million euros in 2013. The agreement provides for the creation and supply to Poland of eight aircraft. In addition, the Polish military will receive special flight simulators. The company will also be fully responsible for training all engineering and flight personnel of the Polish Air Force. The competence of the Italians will also include full-fledged, long-term maintenance of the aircraft they sell.

The first pair of M-346 will be delivered to Poland in November 2016. The remaining six aircraft will arrive in Poland in February, May and October 2017. All these aircraft will be based in the fourth aircraft wing, stationed at Demblin.

Contract with Ukraine

Until the end of the fall of 2016, 40 R-27R1 missiles will be delivered to the 23rd aviation-tactical base in Minsk-Mazovia, which are produced by the Kiev Artyom. These medium-range missiles, which have a semi-active radar targeting system, will be installed on the modernized MiG-29 of the Polish Air Force.

Air Defense System

Speaking about Poland's ground-based air defense, one can not help but notice that the NATO member country already has several batteries of the US Patriot anti-aircraft missile system. Also, 13 divisions of the S-125 air defense system, one S-200 regiment and the "Circle", which are somewhat obsolete, are still holding the air defense, but nevertheless they are fully capable of full-fledged combat duty.