Poland buys 48 light combat aircraft from South Korea as part of arms deal

Poland and South Korea secured an arms contract over the weekend as Warsaw seeks to bolster its security due to the war in Ukraine. Poland signed a contract last week to buy 48 new light combat aircraft.

Friday last week, Poland signed a contract with South Korea to provide Warsaw with 48 new light combat aircraft in its effort to bolster security in the midst of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The recent contract is part of the $13.5 billion arms deal the two countries reached this year.

As part of Friday’s agreement, the FA-50s that Poland purchased will be replacing its Soviet-era MiG-29 aircraft. Polish defense minister Mariusz Blaszczak said the first 12 FA-50s will be delivered to the Polish military in 2023.

“Old aircraft will be replaced by modern FA-50 aircraft – this will be a generational leap. The FA-50 are of the same generation as the F-16, which will significantly strengthen the Polish Air Force,” said Blasczak during a news conference in Minsk-Mazowiecki.

Poland has supplied Ukraine with weapons and ammunition since the beginning of the war and has sought to modernize its military by purchasing new supplies to replace the stock that was provided to Ukraine.

The latest deal with South Korea follows the previous purchasing of 1,000 K2 tanks and 600 K9 self-propelled howitzers from Seoul earlier this year. By 2026, Poland will begin producing its own K2 tanks.

Poland has also sought to expand its military potential much earlier due to the war. Starting in 2023, Warsaw will increase defense spending by three percent from the previous two percent. Poland is also set to increase its defense spending by five percent in the coming years.

On the same day, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol stressed the need for close communication with China regarding the US missile defense system that will be stationed in South Korea. Yoon said the communication is needed to make sure that the missile defense system will not cause a strain on relations between the two countries.

This comes as China-US relations have soured over a number of issues, most especially over Taiwan.