Poland and the United States have struck a $3.8 billion deal to upgrade Poland's 48 F-16C/D Block 52+ fighter planes to the more modern Viper configuration.
The Wojskowe Zakłady Lotnicze Nr.2 facility in Poland will conduct the upgrading work where Lockheed Martin will serve as the primary contractor for the modernisation effort. This is part of Warsaw's ambition to elevate defence expenditure to 5% of GDP by 2026. Poland bought the 48 F-16s for $3.5 billion in 2003, and the last ones were delivered between 2006 and 2008.
The United States approved a full mid-life update in late 2024, although they didn't give all the facts of the package. The program has AN/APG-83 SABR AESA radars, updated mission computers, integrated electronic warfare systems, advanced displays, inertial navigation systems, and a store of test munitions including AGM-158 JASSM, GBU-53/B, and AIM-9X training missiles.
Additional upgrades comprise:
Advanced helmet-mounted devices
Electronic warfare enhancements
The Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod with Digital Video Interface
The Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System
Structural modifications that will extend the aircraft's service life to 12,000 flight hours
The update should keep Poland's F-16 aircraft in operation until the 2040s, which is when the country will have more F-35A Lightning II jets. This will also strengthen NATO's eastern flank.
Author: Özgür Ekşi
