Sunday19 January 2025
swoboda.in.ua

What is the current situation regarding AIM-120 missiles for Poland's FA-50 aircraft?

Poland is acquiring weapons for its FA-50 aircraft, with a particular focus on medium-range air-to-air missiles.
AIM-120 нужны для польских FA-50. Какова текущая ситуация с этими ракетами?

In 2022, Poland signed a contract for the purchase of South Korean FA-50 aircraft, and on paper, this appeared to be an excellent plan to equip four squadrons with a wide range of armaments. However, in practice, it turned out that the United States was not granting the "green light" for integrating AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles into the aircraft, and ultimately, Warsaw is attempting to escape the $3 billion FA-50 procurement trap without these missiles.

польські легкі бойові літаки FA-50

At the same time, Poland continues to work on acquiring weapons for these aircraft. As reported by Defence24.pl, the Polish Armaments Agency [Agencja Uzbrojenia] is currently focused on procuring several types of armaments for their FA-50 light combat aircraft.

Primarily, as the agency informed the publication, this involves sets of KGGB (Korean GPS Guided Bomb) aerial guided bombs with a range of up to 104 km. According to the agency, these bombs can be deployed "from a relatively safe distance from enemy air defense systems," and overall, this is expected to significantly enhance the capabilities of the FA-50.

However, the main question remains regarding the AIM-120 AMRAAM medium-range air-to-air missiles, which are critically important for Polish FA-50 aircraft. The key takeaway is that there have been no positive developments for Poland in this regard.

Specifically, the agency noted that South Korea's KAI is currently collaborating with American companies Lockheed Martin and Raytheon on "technical and economic justification," and the timing for the integration of these missiles into the aircraft will depend on the results of this work.

As for other air-to-air missiles, the Polish authorities are currently working on acquiring AIM-9L and leasing AIM-9P missiles, with the latter being rented until the latest variant, AIM-9X, is accepted into service.

The agency also reminds that Polish FA-50 aircraft can utilize weaponry that was procured for the multifunctional F-16 fighters:

  • AGM-65 Maverick missiles;
  • Mk-82 bombs;
  • GBU-38/B JDAM glide bombs.