The Polish government has inked a €90 million offset agreement with Leonardo MW which will precede a contract for the delivery of AW101 helicopters for the Polish Navy’s anti-submarine warfare and search and rescue operations.

An Italian Navy AW101 (Picture source: Peng Chen)

“The scope of the offset programme fully meets the stringent requirements of the Polish Ministry of National Defence, confirming Leonardo’s commitment to a solid and long-term co-operation with the Polish armed forces and Polish industry for the delivery of relevant capabilities required for the maintenance of modern military equipment, as well as development and sustainment of the necessary skills and experience in the country” Leonardo said.

While the helicopters will be delivered from the Leonardo MW Yeovil facility in the UK, the offset agreement will see Leonardo establish a maintenance center for the helicopters and their mission systems at Polish Armaments Group’s Military Aviation Works No.1 in Łódź.

Polish defense minister Mariusz Błaszczak confirmed that the official contract for the delivery of helicopters would be signed by the end of April, without specifying the number of aircraft to be bought, but it is known that the country has previously indicated it would need up to eight ASW-equipped helicopters for its naval forces