Air Force
Four Hundred Guided Bomb Units for the Polish F-16 Jets
The Armament Inspectorate began a tendering procedure, the aim of which is to acquire GBU-12 D/B Paveway II bombs for the Polish F-16 fighters. In total, throughout the period between 2017 and 2022, the Polish Air Force is planning to acquire 440 laser guided bombs of this type.
The tendering procedure which began on 7th December, the aim of which is to procure GBU-12 Paveway II guided bombs, has been divided into two tasks by the Armament Inspectorate. The first task is related to procurement of 40 GBU-12 D/B guided bomb units. One should remember that the GBU-12 kit includes the following elements: Mk 82, 500 lbs free fall bomb, MAU-169L/B guidance unit, MXU-650C/B stabilizer and FMU-152A/B fuse. The whole package, along with the support bundle, is expected to be delivered until 31st October 2017.
The second task has its term of implementation defined as 2019-2022. During this period, the 31st Airbase in Krzesiny would receive 400 examples of the GBU-12 bombs, delivered in lots of 100 examples each, on the following deadlines: 31st October 2019, 31st October 2020, 31st October 2021 and 31st October 2022.
The bombs shall undergo certification, so that they may be carried by the Polish F-16C/D Block 52+ aircraft, and maintained with the use of the existing Polish equipment used by the ground crews.
The procedure is being carried out in line with the limited mode defined by the Public Procurement Law. Within this context, the number of contractors that may be involved in the tender has been limited down to 10 entities. The Armament Inspectorate will select the best offer on the basis of the price category (weight of 60%), guarantee (weight of 20%) and operational lifetime of the fuse (weight of 20%). The offer submission deadline expires on 10th January 2017.
Recently, the Polish Armed Forces have acquired or have initiated several tendering procedures concerning the procurement of ordnance for the F-16 Block 52+ aircraft operated by the 31st Tactical Airbase. Lately, information has been published that 550 Mk 82 free fall bombs are expected to be acquired, within the scope of a similar tender. On 30th November, the Armament Inspectorate announced that steps are going to be taken to procure 200 guided training bombs – this purchase is going to be covered by an amount of PLN 12 million. Moreover, Mesko S.A. facility has been selected to deliver, throughout the period between 2017 and 2019 and in 2021, in total, 108 thousand 20 mm rounds using the TP RRR LD M2 training projectile. Furthermore, acquisition of 70 JASSM-ER missiles has also been planned. The range of these missiles exceeds 900 kilometers.
Read more: 70 JASSM-ER Missiles for the Polish F-16 Fighters. State Department Issues A Consent.