Poland confirms US$3.8 billion F-16V upgrade
The F-16V is the latest variant of the F-16 aircraft. (Photo: Poland Ministry of Defence)
The Mid-Life Upgrade agreement comes as Poland makes significant increases in its defence spend as its plans to increase it to 5% of GDP by 2026.
Poland’s Ministry of Defence has signed a US$3.8 billion deal with Lockheed Martin to modernise its 48 F-16 C/D Block 52 aircraft to the F-16V Block 70/72 standard.
According to Polish defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, tests and control flights of two aircraft will be carried out in the US, while the remaining aircraft will be checked in Poland. The aircraft are scheduled to be delivered between 2030 to 2038, according to reports from local Polish media.
Kosiniak-Kamysz said: “The current capabilities of the F-16 in the C/D version are good, but after 20 years they are insufficient against threats. We
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