Poland decided to acquisition 48 F-16 C/D Block 52+ fighters in 2003. The contract amounted to $3.25 billion, or the equivalent of about PLN 13–14 billion according to the then rates. The price of 1 aircraft was on average $67 million (PLN 240–260 million), and the package besides included training, weapons and basic logistical support, as calculated by Defence24 service.
Poland lost its F-16 fighter
Using machines is besides a immense cost. MON stated that in 2016 the maintenance of the full fleet took 368 million PLN. According to erstwhile estimates from 2013, F-16 flight hr cost PLN 58,7 thousand. By 2021, Polish fighters had already flown 100,000 hours – which means hundreds of millions of PLN spent on fuel and spare parts, as the Defence24 portal calculates.
Importantly, the failure of 1 unit means a fleet decline of about 2% – with a limited number of machines. After the Radom disaster, we only have 47.
At the same time, in August of this year, Deputy Prime Minister and head of MON Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz signed a contract at Military Aviation Plant No. 2 in Bydgoszcz for the comprehensive modernization of F-16 aircraft.
Our F-16 is about to be upgraded.
The intent of the agreement concluded between Poland and the USA is to modernise the full fleet of Polish multi-purpose F-16 C/D Block 52 combat aircraft. Modernization works will be carried out at Military Aviation Plant No. 2 in Bydgoszcz.
– More than 20 years ago, our predecessors made a choice on what kind of aircraft would replace post-missive equipment in Polish air force. We bet on the F-16 and it was a very good decision – a tested machine, a platform capable of extraordinary combat actions. For these 20 years the F-16 protected the Polish sky, participated in abroad missions, including Air Policing over the Baltic States, and were sent everywhere our allies needed," said the head of the MON.
– Polish pilots love this plane and are arrogant of it – we already have generations of trained crews. The current capacity of the F-16 in the C/D version is good, but after 20 years insufficient to cope with threats," he stressed.
– We request to improve our ability to identify, communicate, integrate with the F-35, Abrams and Apaches, as well as our ability to act in all domain. Modernization for $3.8 billion will let you to decision from version C/D Block 52 to version V Block 72 – the same 1 they buy, among others. Slovaks as their most modern aircraft – he pointed out.
Data in 2023 revealed that Turkey's largest fleet of F-16 after the United States had 243 machines. Israel with 224 aircraft, Egypt with 218 fighters, South Korea with 167, Greece with 153 machines.
