Defence Policy
Defence24 DAY: Head of the Polish Ministry of Defence Announces Procurement of Further Black Hawk Helicopters for the SOF Component
During the meeting yesterday, the Technical Modernization Council made a decision on procurement of another four S-70i Black Hawk helicopters for the SOF component, announced head of the Polish Ministry of Defence Mariusz Błaszczak, during the Defence24 DAY conference.
During his opening speech at the Defence24 DAY conference, Mariusz Błaszczak announced that the Technical Modernization Council made a decision on procurement of another four S-70i Black Hawk helicopters for the SOF component.
The first agreement for delivery of helicopters for the SOF component signed in January 2019 pertained to four Black Hawk helicopters delivered by PZL Mielec, along with a logistics/training package and extra equipment. The total value of the agreement is defined as PLN 683.4 million (gross). The helicopters - in the basic configuration - were delivered in 2019. The extra equipment was to be installed after the actual delivery. The details on the configuration of the Polish SOF's Black Hawk helicopters are unknown. It is known, however, that they have been modified to carry armament, including cabin-mounted machine guns.
The Polish SOF component is also supported by the 7th Special Operations Squadron of the Air Force. The Squadron in question currently operates the Mi-17 helicopters.