Saab unveiled, last Friday (29), the first Saab 340 AEW&C radar plane for the Polish Air Force at its facilities in Linköping, in southern Sweden. The official presentation of the aircraft comes just two months after Poland signed the purchase of two units, valued at US$58 million.
“We are honored to provide this important capability to Poland and are proud to be making rapid progress towards the delivery of this airborne early warning system to the Polish Armed Forces.”, said Carl-Johan Bergholm, head of Saab's Surveillance business area. During the ceremony, Polish Minister of National Defense Mariusz Błaszczak stated that this first aircraft will be delivered in just a few months.
According to the manufacturer, the accelerated pace is the result of efficient collaboration between Saab and the Polish Armed Forces and the fact that Saab has a continuous production line for aerial early warning solutions. This includes dedicated staff and in-house expertise to carry out all types of tests and assessments for the necessary systems approval.
On the other hand, the British portal Janes states that the two now Polish aircraft were recently retired in the United Arab Emirates and were stored in Sweden.
These are the first airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft acquired by the Poles. It is another of several purchases in the defense sector that the country has made in recent years. Polish investments in armaments were strongly catalyzed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Based on the Saab 340 regional turboprop, the aircraft was modified to meet Sweden's needs for a radar plane. The biggest difference is in the aircraft's sensor, an Ericsson PS-890 Erieye radar, with active electronic scanning. It is the same instrument used on the company's Embraer E-99 jets. Brazilian air force, capable of detecting and tracking aerial targets up to 450 km.
