Air Force of the Republic of Poland

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Air Force of the Republic of Poland
Siły Powietrzne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej

POL Wojska Lotnicze.svg

Coat of arms of the Polish Air Force
Lineup 1918
Country PolandPoland Poland
Armed forces Polish armed forces
Type Armed forces
Strength 36,450 (16,126 soldiers)
Command Command of the Air Force Warsaw
Wars World War II
Iraq War Afghan War
21st Century
insignia
Airplane cockade ( checkerboard pattern ) Roundel of Poland.svg Roundel of Poland - Low Visibility.svg

The Air Force of the Republic of Poland ( Polish: Siły Powietrzne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej ) is a branch of the Polish Armed Forces .

history

The Air Force of the Republic of Poland was formed in 1919 from the Blue Army air squadrons, the Naczelny Polski Komitet Wojskowy (Supreme Polish Military Committee) air squadron founded in Russia on the side of the White Army, and the air squadrons established in Poland since 1918. From 1930 the PZL P.7 , a fighter aircraft built by PZL in Warsaw , was introduced. The Polish Air Force was the first air force to be fully equipped with all-metal fighters.

In 1954 the air force was merged with the air defense forces ( Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Przeciwlotniczej Obszaru Kraju - WLiOPL OK ). In 1962 the WLiOPL OK was again divided into the air force ( Wojska Lotnicze ) and air defense forces ( Wojska Obrony Powietrznej Kraju ). On July 1, 1990, the military branches were reunited as the Air Force and Air Defense of the Republic of Poland ( Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej - WLOP RP ).

Since July 1, 2004, the official name is Air Force of the Republic of Poland ( Siły Powietrzne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej ).

Second World War

attack on Poland

During the attack on Poland , the Polish Air Force had the following 392 (as of September 1, 1939) combat-ready aircraft:

Other aircraft were practically of no military value and were used for training and reconnaissance.

During the fighting from September 1, 1939 to September 17, 1939, the Polish fighter and anti-aircraft units jointly shot down around 250 German aircraft. In the process, the Polish Air Force lost almost all of its fighters. The bomber units attacked the German armored forces until September 10, 1939. About 80% of all bombers were lost. On September 17, 1939 ( Soviet attack on Poland ) the Polish Air Force received the order to fly to Romania . Only about 80 aircraft (including 19 P-37 Łoś) managed to do this. Later the Romanian Air Force used the Polish PZL P-37 Łoś in the war against the Soviet Union.

Polish Air Force in the west

Some of the pilots who flew their planes to Romania ended up in England. They were drawn up in Great Britain on August 2, 1940 on the basis of a military agreement between the Polish government in exile and the British government . In the further course of the Second World War, the pilots of the Polish Armed Forces in the west (as part of the Royal Air Force ) proved to be effective, the Polish pilots (5%) recorded about 12% of the kills. The most famous squadron was the Dywizjon 303 .

Air Force of the Polish People's Army

After the Second World War, a Polish People's Army loyal to Moscow was established in Poland ; Poland became a member of the Warsaw Pact . It was only under the Polish Defense Minister Konstantin Rokossowski , who had been in office since 1949 , a Soviet marshal of Polish descent, that the Polish air force became a separate armed force again. Poland largely took over the standard aircraft from Soviet production, in-house designs such as the PZL TS-11 Iskra remained the exception.

The MiG-21 (MiG-21F-13, MiG-21PF and MF as well as MiG-21bis) became the standard aircraft of the Air Force from 1963 . From 1979 the Polish Air Force had 37 MiG-23s and since 1989 also 12 MiG-29s .

Air forces after 1989

After the end of the Warsaw Pact, the air force (under the name Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej ) was reorganized and parts of the outdated aircraft were scrapped. Nevertheless, large parts of the aircraft are still from Soviet production today. At the 1997 NATO summit in Madrid, Poland was offered membership of NATO . Poland has been a member of NATO since March 12, 1999. By 2004, the Polish Air Force had taken over a total of 23 MiG-29s from the German Air Force . As of 2003, Poland acquired 48 F-16 combat aircraft as part of a compensation deal with the USA . It is planned to retire the remaining Su-22 bombers. In December 2003, a Mil Mi-8 government helicopter crashed, with Prime Minister Leszek Miller surviving injured.

On April 10, 2010, a passenger plane of the Polish Air Force of the type Tupolev Tu-154M crashed while approaching Smolensk in thick fog; it had flown too low. All 96 people on board died, including the Polish President Lech Kaczyński , the then commander of the Polish Air Force Andrzej Błasik and numerous other high-ranking Poles (see plane crash near Smolensk ). Błasik's successor was Lech Majewski . As a replacement for the crashed machine, the procurement of type Gulfstream 550 aircraft is planned in the coming years .

structure

The highest military authority in the Polish Air Force is the General Staff of the Polish Army ( Sztab Generalny Wojska Polskiego ( SG WP )) in Warsaw . Two independent commands are subordinate to the General Staff. The General Command of the Polish Armed Forces ( Dowództwo Generalne Rodzajów Sił Zbrojnych ( DG RSZ )) is responsible for the readiness of the forces. The Air Force Inspectorate is subordinate to this authority. The Operations Command of the Polish Armed Forces ( Dowództwo Operacyjne Rodzajów Sił Zbrojnych ( DO RSZ )) is responsible for military operations, to which the Center for Air Operations is subordinate.
Ministry of National Defense ( Ministerstwa Obrony Narodowej ( MON )) (Warsaw)

  • General Staff of the Polish Army ( Sztab Generalny Wojska Polskiego ( SG WP )) ( Warsaw )
    • General Command of the Polish Armed Forces ( Dowództwo Generalne Rodzajów Sił Zbrojnych ( DG RSZ ))
      • Air Force Inspectorate ( Sił Powietrznych Inspectorate )
    • Operations Command of the Polish Armed Forces ( Dowództwo Operacyjne Rodzajów Sił Zbrojnych ( DO RSZ ))
      • Center for Air Operations - Command of Air Components ( Centrum Operacji Powietrznych - Dowództwo komponentu Powietrznego ( COP - DKP ))

The air force units are subordinate to the General Command of the Polish Armed Forces. If necessary, units are subordinated to the operational command of the Polish Armed Forces and integrated into the air component for operations.

The Polish Air Force is divided into three branches of service:

  • Air troops ( Wojsk Lotniczych ) - are organized in wings ( Skrzydło , brigade equivalents ), air bases ( Baza lotnycztwa , German air force squadrons) and squadrons ( Eskadra , German air force squadrons ). As of 2017, the aviation troops of the Polish Air Force had two tactical aviation wings, a transport wing and a training wing.
  • Anti-aircraft troops ( Wojsk Obrony Przeciwlotniczej ) - are organized into brigades ( Brygada ) and divisions ( Dywizjon ).
  • Radio-technical troops ( Wojsk Radiotechnicznych ) - are organized in brigades ( Brygada ) and battalions ( Batalion ).

The logistics troops of the Polish Armed Forces are organized in a cross-armed forces organization, similar to the German armed forces base - the Support Inspectorate of the Armed Forces ( Inspectorate Wsparcia Sił Zbrojnych ). The training facilities for the Polish Air Force are directly integrated into the Ministry of Defense.

Operations Command

Operations Command of the Polish Armed Forces ( Dowództwo Operacyjne Rodzajów Sił Zbrojnych ( DO RSZ ))

  • Center for Air Operations - Command of Air Components ( Centrum Operacji Powietrznych - Dowództwo komponentu Powietrznego ( COP - DKP )) ( Warsaw- Pyry)
    • Mobile operational command unit for air operations ( Mobilna Jednostka Dowodzenia Operacjami Powietrznymi - Poznań -Babki ) (Poznań-Babki Air Base)
    • 22. Command and Control Center Tadeusz Henryk Rolski - Bydgoszcz ( 22. Ośrodek Dowodzenia i Naprowadzania im. Płk pil.Tadeusza Henryka Rolskiego - Bydgoszcz ) ( Bydgoszcz Air Base )
    • 1. Regional command center and control center "Brigadier General Pilot Stanisław Skalski" ( 1. Regionalny Ośrodek Dowodzenia i Naprowadzania im. Gen. Bryg. Pil. Stanisława Skalskiego - Kraków -Balice) (Kraków-Balice air base)
    • 1st Air Operations Coordination Center ( 1st Center Koordynacji Operacji Powietrznych - Gdynia ) (Gdynia Naval Base)
    • 2nd Air Operations Coordination Center ( 2nd Center Koordynacji Operacji Powietrznych - Kraków )
    • 4th Air Operations Coordination Center ( 4th Center Koordynacji Operacji Powietrznych - Szczecin )
  • individual Polish military contingents ( Polskie Kontyngenty Wojskowe ( PKW )) after operations

General command

Air Force of the Republic of Poland (Poland)
Bydgoszcz / Bromberg
Bydgoszcz / Bromberg
Dęblin
Dęblin
Krakow-Balice
Krakow-Balice
Łask
Łask
Malbork / Marienburg
Malbork / Marienburg
Mińsk Mazowiecki
Mińsk Mazowiecki
Mirosławiec / Märkisch Friedland
Mirosławiec / Märkisch Friedland
Poznan-Krzesiny
Poznan-Krzesiny
Powidz
Powidz
Radom-Sadków
Radom-Sadków
Świdwin / Schivelbein
Świdwin / Schivelbein
Warsaw
Warsaw
Wrocław / Breslau
Wrocław / Breslau
Red pog.svgActive bases of the air force
Yellow ffff00 pog.svgother used airfields

General Command of the Polish Armed Forces ( Dowództwo Generalne Rodzajów Sił Zbrojnych ( DG RSZ )) ( Warsaw )

  • Air Force Inspectorate ( Sił Powietrznych Inspectorate )
  • Air Force Services under the Ministry of Defense:
    • Head Office of the Hydrometeorological Service of the Polish Armed Forces ( Szefostwo Służby Hydrometeorologicznej Sił Zbrojnych RP ) ( Warsaw )
    • Headquarters of the Military Air Traffic Control Service of the Polish Armed Forces ( Szefostwo Służby Ruchu Lotniczego Sił Zbrojnych RP ) ( Warsaw )
  • Training institutions under the Ministry of Defense:
    • Higher Officers School of the LSK ( Wyższa Szkoła Oficerska Sił Powietrznych ) ( Dęblin )
    • LSK NCO School ( Szkoła Podoficerska Sił Powietrznych ) ( Dęblin )
    • Aeronautical training center ( Centrum Szkolenia Inżynieryjno-Lotniczego ) ( Dęblin )
    • Training center of the LSK "Romuald Traugutt" ( Centrum Szkolenia Sił Powietrznych im. Romualda Traugutta ) ( Koszalin )

Aerobatic teams

Current aircraft

plane photo origin Type version In service Remarks
Warplanes
Lockheed Martin F-16 Jastrząb Krzesiny 7RB.JPG United StatesUnited States United States Multipurpose fighter aircraft Total:
F16C bl 52+
F16D bl 52+
48
36
12
Lockheed Martin F-35 F-35A three-view.PNG United StatesUnited States United States Stealth multipurpose fighter aircraft F-35A In January 2020, Poland ordered 32 aircraft
MiG-29 Polish Air Force Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29A (9-12A) Lofting-1.jpg Soviet UnionSoviet Union Soviet Union Multipurpose fighter aircraft TOTAL:
MiG-29A / G
MiG-29UB / GT
28
22
6
In 2004, 23 MiG-29A / G were originally given away to Poland by the Bundeswehr. The aircraft came from the former NVA. One machine was destroyed in a crash in 2018.
Sukhoi Su-22 Sukhoi Su-22UM-3K Fitter at RIAT 2010 arp.jpg Soviet UnionSoviet Union Soviet Union bomber Su-22M4K
Su-22UM3K
18th
Transport aircraft
CASA C-295M Polish Air Force CASA C-295M Lofting.jpg SpainSpain Spain Transport plane C-295M 18th 1 crashed
on January 24, 2008
C-130 Hercules Polski C-130 Hercules.JPG United StatesUnited States United States Transport plane C-130E 5
PZL M28B Bryza PZL-Mielec M-28B PT Bryza 1TD.jpg PolandPoland Poland Liaison aircraft Bryza M28B

Bryza M28PT / GC

24
Training aircraft
PZL TS-11 Iskra TS-11 Iskra R RB3.JPG PolandPoland Poland Jet trainer 37
PZL-130 Orlik PZL-130TC-2 Orlik 030 (11842110614) .jpg PolandPoland Poland Trainer TC-II Advanced 28
Alenia Aermacchi M-346 M346-2023.jpg ItalyItaly Italy Trainer 12/16 Can also be used as a modern ground attack aircraft.
Modernization of the first twelve and re-ordering of another four in December 2018.
VIP aircraft
Gulfstream 550 Gulfstream Aerospace GV Gulfstream V AN0426741.jpg United StatesUnited States United States VIP G550 2 The unit price is just under 50 million US dollars.
Boeing 737 Polish Government (0110) Boeing 737-800 - LHR (42525378332) .jpg United StatesUnited States United States VIP 737-800NG

737-BBJ2

1/3 3 aircraft were purchased, one in the 800-NG version and two BBJ2. The first was picked up in 2017, the rest should be delivered by November 2020
PZL W-3 W-3.sokół.vip.jpg PolandPoland Poland VIP W-3 Sokół 7th
Mil Wed-8 Mi-8 Polish Gov.jpg Soviet UnionSoviet Union Soviet Union VIP Mi-8S 2 Total loss of a Mi-8 on December 4, 2003 near Warsaw (Prime Minister Leszek Miller survived)
helicopter
PZL SW-4 Puszczyk Krzesiny 120RB.JPG PolandPoland Poland Light helicopter 24
PZL W-3 Sokół Anaconda 2008 - dzień mediów (6) .jpg PolandPoland Poland Multipurpose helicopter W-3T

W-3P

W-3RL

W-3WA

W-3WA SAR

17th
Mil Wed-2 Krzesiny 106RB.JPG PolandPoland Poland Multipurpose helicopter RL

P

T

D.

R.

URP-G

Sz

17th
Mil Wed-8/17
EUFOR, 2009-02-17, współdziałanie kawalerii, KTO Rosomak, Mi-17, 02.jpg RussiaRussia Russia
Soviet Union
Transport helicopter Wed-17-1W

Wed-8/17 RL

Mi-8P / SAR

Mi-8S

Mi-8T / SAR

12
S-70i S-70i Black Hawk PolandPoland Poland

United StatesUnited States United States

Multipurpose helicopter \

Special forces

4th

As part of the Strategic Airlift Capability Program, Poland and the other participating countries also operate three C-17 Globemaster IIIs that can be used for strategic military air transport.

bases

  • 1 Baza Lotnicza - Warsaw
  • 3 Baza Lotnicza - Wroclaw
  • 6 Baza Lotnicza - Dęblin - Officers' College
  • 8 Baza Lotnicza - Krakow
  • 12 Baza Lotnicza - Mirosławiec
  • 21 Baza Lotnicza - Świdwin
  • 22 Baza Lotnicza - Malbork
  • 23 Baza Lotnicza - Mińsk Mazowiecki
  • 31 Baza Lotnictwa Taktycznego - Poznań-Krzesiny , base of combat aircraft for retraining and ground attack (F-16), 3rd and 6th Squadron of the 2nd Tactical Air Wing
  • 32 Baza Lotnicza - Łask , base of combat aircraft for QRA tasks (F-16), 10th squadron of the 2nd Tactical Air Squadron
  • 33 Baza Lotnicza - Powidz , Air Transport Base (C-130), 14th Air Force, 7th Squadron Special Actions (7 Eskadra Działań Specjalnych)
  • 43 Baza Lotnicza - Gdynia
  • 44 Baza Lotnicza - Siemirowice

Web links

Commons : Polish Air Force  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

literature

  • Jerzy B. Cynk:
    • The Polish Air Force at War: The Official History Vol.1 1939-1943 (Schiffer Military History, 2004).
    • The Polish Air Force at War: The Official History Vol.1 1943-1945 .
  • Adam Zamoyski: The Forgotten Few: The Polish Air Force in the Second World War. 1995, ISBN 978-0781804219 .

Individual evidence

  1. Podstawowe informacje o budżecie resortu obrony narodowej na 2010 rok. ( Memento from October 11, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ^ Cajus Bekker : Attack height 4000 ; Janusz Piekałkiewicz : Air War over Europe ; Jerzy Cynk: Sily lotnicze Polski i Niemiec ; Dariusz Stefaniak: Own documents.
  3. ^ Kate Sarsfield: Poland selects Gulfstream G550 for VIP transport. In: Flightglobal.com. November 17, 2016, accessed on November 19, 2016 (English): "Gulfstream has secured an order from the Polish government for two G550 business jets to be used for VIP transport missions."
  4. Dowództwo Generalne Rodzajów SIL Zbrojnych (General Command of the Armed Forces). Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej (Ministry of National Defense), accessed October 14, 2017 (Polish).
  5. Dowództwo operacyjne Rodzajów SIL Zbrojnych - Struktura (Operational Command of the Armed Forces - structure). Dowództwo Operacyjne Rodzajów Sił Zbrojnych (Operational Command of the Armed Forces), accessed on October 14, 2017 (Polish).
  6. ^ Siły Powietrzne (Air Force). Consulting Service Sp. Z oo (domain registrar), accessed on October 14, 2017 (Polish).
  7. Germany is giving away MIG 29. Accessed on July 13, 2020 .
  8. ^ Ex-Luftwaffe MiG-29 crashed in Poland. Retrieved July 13, 2020 .
  9. WYPOSAŻENIA. Retrieved April 17, 2020 (Polish).
  10. Znamy harmonogram dostaw Orlikow TC-II Advanced - Defence24. Retrieved April 17, 2020 .
  11. WYPOSAŻENIA. Retrieved July 20, 2020 (Polish).
  12. Polskie samoloty Boeing BBJ2 po pierwszym odbiorze. Gotowość operacyjna w 2020 roku - Defense24. Retrieved July 20, 2020 .
  13. PZL W-3 Sokół w Wojsku Polskim. In: Gdzie zaczyna się wojsko… October 9, 2010, accessed on April 17, 2020 (pl-PL).
  14. Lista śmigłowców Wed-2 |. Retrieved April 17, 2020 (pl-PL).
  15. samolotypolskie.pl - Mil Mi-8 / Mi-9 / Mi-17 / Mi-171 / Mi-172 (zastosowanie i opis techniczny). Retrieved April 17, 2020 .
  16. Black Hawki dla Wojsk Specjalnych - daleko od docelowej configuracji? [COMMENTARY] - Defense24. Retrieved April 17, 2020 .