Poland is set to become home to Europe’s largest maintenance center for AH-64E Apache helicopters after offset agreements between Wojskowe Zakłady Lotnicze nr 1 (WZL-1) in Łódź and Boeing were signed on Tuesday.
The agreements were concluded as part of offset commitments linked to Poland’s purchase of AH-64E Apache helicopters. The contract for 96 machines was signed on 13 August 2024 by Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and was worth around $10 billion (39.7 billion złoty), making it the largest single foreign order in Poland’s history. Prime Minister Donald Tusk described the deal as a key and breakthrough contract.
Tusk said the service center investment is also a very important investment in Łódź.
– Here, in the military works, we will double employment, and it will be employment involving high technologies and great skills – said Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
The prime minister stressed that the WZL-1 facility will be the largest Apache service center in Europe. Poland has ordered 96 helicopters, which, excluding the United States, will be the largest fleet of this type in the world.
Tusk added that in the coming days further contracts are to be finalized, including those for Polish Piorun anti-aircraft missile sets, worth about 7 billion złoty.
From Mi-24 to a generational leap
Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk called the Apache deal the largest US contract in the history of Poland and said the signing marked a generational shift. To illustrate the change, he pointed to a Mi-24 helicopter from the 1970s standing nearby, the type once featured in the American film Rambo.
– Next to us there is still a Mi-24 helicopter, produced in the 1970s, and a helicopter styled on the Mi-24 appeared in the famous American film Rambo. You can see a generational change – said Tomczyk.
– I am convinced that if Rambo could fly a helicopter today, rather than fight against it, he would of course fly an Apache – added the deputy defense minister.
Tomczyk stressed that buying equipment is not enough on its own.
– It is not an achievement to simply buy; the achievement is to buy wisely – he said, explaining that the purchase is wise when it is complete and comes with technology and jobs.
He added that the modernization of the Polish armed forces will continue for a long time, but there is no doubt that Tuesday’s contracts mean a generational change. The offset is expected to contribute to a technological leap, and Poland is moving from being a customer to being a partner.
– We are convinced that this is good news for both Poland and the United States, because both countries benefit from this contract – said Tomczyk.
Washington: Poland is America’s key NATO ally
The US ambassador to Poland said Tuesday was another in a series of very important days in the bilateral relationship.
– The prime minister said the most important thing – that our partnership grows as our strength grows. Poland is the most important ally of the United States in NATO – said the ambassador.
– This ceremony could not have happened without the prime minister, without Rambo Tomczyk, without Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka – he added.
The ambassador called the Apache the best combat helicopter and said it would be flown by the best pilots. Poland is developing the ability to sustain, repair and keep these helicopters flying for decades, and this work will be done in Łódź by highly qualified, trained and, he hoped, highly paid Polish workers.
– It is about readiness, not just high pay, skills or supporting Poland’s economy. No one needs to be reminded of the risks you face, which the prime minister faces daily, and which we face daily in Poland – said the ambassador.
Deputy Defense Minister Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka noted the number of defense contracts being signed and stressed that major purchases are linked with offset. She rejected criticism of the EU SAFE program.
– Today we are showing in black and white what complete nonsense it was to claim that we would no longer cooperate with the United States on defense. The giant Apache contract and the value of all our defense contracts with the US are worth more than the entire SAFE mechanism – said Sobkowiak-Czarnecka.
Sobkowiak-Czarnecka said the center in Łódź will serve Poland and, in later steps, purchases made by other countries. Poland wants to be a hub for American defense companies in Europe.
– Today we need each other. We know how much the current geopolitical situation requires investment in security, and we are ready; we are already implementing cooperation with our American partners – she declared.
Source: WNP.PL, Photo: PAP
