Sily Powietrzne (Polish Air Force)
The Polish Air Force would be established as a result of the First World War. Poland has a rich aviation history and great fame was especially during the Second World War gained. During the interwar years, the Polish aviation industry would make great steps in this period. The Polish Air Force became quickly a large force. During the Cold War, Poland would be part of the Warsaw Pact. Almost all types of aircraft which were in use at the Polish Air Force were during this period from Russian origin. Besides these aircraft also the Polish aviation industry would receive a boost, because many Polish Air Force aircraft were built by the Polish PZL. Nowadays Poland has a very modern air force. The 1 Tactical Air Wing is a small self-contained air force within the Polish Air Force. The wing is able to perform all combat tasks and consists of aircraft like the MiG-29 "Fulcrum" which is responsible for the air defense of the Polish airspace and the Su-22 "Fitter" which is used for the offensive tasks of the air force. The 2 Tactical Air Wing is the most modern and youngest wing of the Polish Air Force. The units of this wing are equipped with the Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon. Like the 1 Tactical Air Wing also the 2 Tactical Air Wing is able to operate both in the air defense role as the offensive role with the help of the F-16. The transport aircraft of the 3 Tactical Airlift Wing is responsible for the logistical connections through the air. The American Lockheed C-130 Hercules is the workhorse of the Polish Air Force. In addition to the Hercules the Spanish CASA C-295 is used as a tactical transport aircraft and the PZL M28 as a light transport aircraft. Besides the transport aircraft of the 3 Tactical Airlift Wing also several transport helicopters are in use at this unit. These helicopters are used for transport duties and for the commitment of the Polish Special Forces. Also part of the helicopter fleet of the Polish Air Force will be used for VIP and government transport in Warsaw. The Polish aviation flying school is in Poland referred to as the 4 Flying Training Wing. The main task of this training wing is the education of all military pilots of the Polish Air Force. The Polish 4 Flying Training Wing is stationed at the airfields Deblin and Radom. Only training aircraft are stationed at these two airfields.
History of the Polish Air Force
The Polish Air Force is referred in Polish to as Sily Powietrzne which literally means air force. The Air Force of Poland is one of the military branches of the Polish armed forces. Until July 2004 the Polish Air Force was officially designated as Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej (Air and Air Defense Forces). Nowadays, the Polish Air Force is fully integrated into the NATO structure. Poland is a member state of the European Union and NATO and is providing assistance in the contribution to the international arena. The Polish Air Force has its origins in the months after the end of First World War in 1918. In 1918, some squadrons of aircraft were created within the Polish units in the allied countries. In Russia, a squadron was formed as part of the Polish Corps of General Józef Dowbór-Muśnicki. This unit, however, was disbanded along with the Corps in May 1918. Five bomber squadrons were created in France in the army of General Józef Haller. The military aviation in Poland had just started when the country regained its independence in November 1918. The fledgling air force originally consisted of German and Austrian aircraft which were conquered or abandoned due to damage. These aircraft were used for the first time in the fight against Ukraine in the area of Lwów in 1918. After 1919, Poland was involved in the war with the Soviet Union and the country began to buy aircraft abroad. As a result, the Polish Air Force consisted of a variety of planes from the First World War era. The most widely used aircraft were of the type SPAD XIII, Fokker D.VII, Oeffag D.III, Ansaldo Balilla, SPAD VII, Albatross D.III, Sopwith Dolphin and Fokker EV (D.VIII).
After the Polish-Soviet War, the aircraft from the period of the First World War were gradually phased out. From 1924 to 1926, the French SPAD 61 entered operation. The standard light bombers of the Poles were also French and were of the type Potez 15, Breguet XIX and Potez 25. The Potez bombers were produced in Poland. The medium bombers were of the type Farman Goliath and later a military variant of the Fokker F-VII. In 1933 the first monoplanes were introduced. These aircraft were fully made of metal and were designed by Zygmunt Puławski. The first type which entered service was the PZL P.7a. This design was followed by 30 improved PZL P.11a aircraft. The final design of the PZL P.11c was produced in a quantity of 175 pieces in 1935. This aircraftremained the only Polish fighter in the Polish Air Force until 1939. The aircraft was however already outdated compared to foreign aircraft designs in the same period. The PZL P.24 was only designed and built for export and was bought by four countries. The new fighter aircraft of the type PZL 50 Jastrząb (Hawk) were similar to the Seversky P-35 and would be produced too late for participation during the Second World War. In 1938 the Polish factory PZL designed a modern twin-engine medium bomber designated as the PZL 37 Los (Elk). This aircraft was the best bomber in the world in the same year. The Los had a payload of 2580 kg and a top speed of 439 km/h. Also of this type, were only a few aircraft been built and it played only a small role during the Second World War.
In 1939, Poland ordered 160 MS-406 in France and 10 Hawker Hurricanes in the United Kingdom. However, these aircraft were not delivered on time before the outbreak of the Second World War. At the beginning of the invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, many Polish fighters were sent to alternative sites to avoid destruction. The German bombers managed to destroy mainly training aircraft at several airfields. The fighters were grouped into 15 squadrons in the area around Warsaw. The Polish PZL P.11a fighters were outdated, but have succeeded to shoot down more than 170 German aircraft. The largest part of the Polish Air Force was destroyed in the campaign and the rest of the aircraft were moved to Romania. Subsequently, the Romanians used all the remaining aircraft for personal use. A large number of Polish pilots and crews managed to escape to France. After the fall of Poland, the Polish Air Force began to regroup in France. The only unit which was completed before the German attack on France was the GC 1/145 squadron which was equipped with Caudron C.714. The Polish pilots were also deployed at various French units. In France they were at the time of the invasion not able to withstand the German forces. After the surrender of France in 1940, the Polish units were formed in the United Kingdom as part of the Royal Air Force. Here the Polish Air Force (PAF) was established. The first Polish squadrons were the no 300 and no 301 Bomber Squadrons and the no 302 and no 303 Fighter Squadrons.
The units which were equipped with combat aircraft received for their tasks the Hawker Hurricane. The Polish units were immediately deployed in the third phase of the Battle of Britain in August 1940. The Poles used theirwidely developed combat experiences very well and had good results in dogfights. The Polish pilots were as fearless and sometimes they were considered as reckless. In spite of this behavior the Polish successes were large compared to the British pilots who were still completely inexperienced. The Polish no 303 Squadron was the most efficient RAF squadron at that time. The fame and victories which were achieved by pilots from the no 303 Squadron are today still praised in Poland. In the following years, more Polish squadrons were established. These Polish squadrons were; the no 304 Bomber Squadron, the no 305 Bomber Squadron, the no 306 Fighter Squadron, the no 307 Night Fighter Squadron, the no 308 Fighter Squadron, the no 309 Reconnaissance Squadron, the no 315, 316 & 317 Fighter Squadron, the no 318 Fighter Reconnaissance Squadron and the no 663 Air Observation Squadron. Fighter units flew initially with the Hurricane, the Supermarine Spitfire and ultimately with the P-51 Mustang. The no 307 Night Fighter Squadron used aircraft of the type Boulton Paul Defiant, Bristol Beaufighter and de Havilland Mosquito. The bomber squadrons were equipped with the Fairey Battle, the Vickers Wellington, the Avro Lancaster, the Handley Page Halifax, the Consolidated B-24 Liberator and B-25 Mitchell. After the Second World War the international situation changed quickly and Polish units were disbanded. Just a few of the pilots and crews returned eventually to Poland.
The Polish Lotnictwo Ludowego Wojska Polskiego (Polish People's Army Aviation) was founded in 1943 by Polish patriots who wanted to liberate their country from Nazi Germany. This army was launched in cooperation with the Soviet Union and soon this army also got its own air force. The formation of the 1st Independent Squadron began on July 7, 1943 at the airport in Grigoriewskoje in Russia. This unit would be the basis for the 1 Fighter Aviation Regiment. Eventually there were 11 regiments formed which each had a different task. These units were equipped with Russian-made aircraft. After the liberation of Poland this would be the only real air force of the poles. Halfway through 1949, the Polish Air Force had over 595 aircraft in operational service of the type Yak-9T/M, Yak-9P, Yak-9W, IL-2, IL-10, and Pe-2. The relations with the Soviet Union remained strong during this period and Poland would jointhe Warsaw Pact which was founded in response to the NATO in the west from 1955. Since 1951, the Polish Air Force was equipped with Yak-23 jet fighters and MiG-15 "Fagot" jet fighters. Later also the MiG-17 "Fresco" was purchased in 1961. Initially, these aircraft were built in Russia. However, the demand for these aircraft in Eastern Europe was enormous and these planes would be built under license in Poland as well. From 1952, the MiG-15 and later the MiG-17 were produced under license in Poland under the name Lim-1 and Lim-2 as an equivalent for the MiG-15 and the Lim-5 as equivalent for the MiG-17. These aircraft were manufactured in Poland by PZL-Mielec. In 1964 also a ground attack version of the MiG-17 was developed; the aircraft was produced under the name Lim-6.
In 1954, the existing components of the Polish Air Force were merged into the National Air and Air Defense Forces (Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Przeciwlotniczej Obszaru Kraju (WLiOPL OK)). Later in 1964 the organization was divided again into two separate organizations, each with their own tasks. These two organizations were the Air Force (Wojska Lotnicze) and the Country Air Defense Force (Wojska Obrony Powietrznej Kraju). The main bombers in service with the Polish Air Force were from 1949 of the type Il-10 "Beast". The first jet bomber which entered operation was the Il-28 "Beagle" and since 1965 the Su-7B "Fitter-A". From 1974, these aircraft were supplemented by the Su-20 and Su-22 "Fitter". The fleet of combat aircraft was supplemented in 1959 with a small number of MiG-19 "Farmer" aircraft. The work horse of the Polish fighter fleet would be the MiG-21 “Fishbed” from 1963. There were hundreds of MiG-21s purchased in numerous variations for the Polish Air Force. In 1979 the fleet of MiG-21s was supplemented with the new MiG-23 "Flogger". The last fighter of Russian origin which entered operation at the Polish Air Force was in 1989 the MiG-29 "Fulcrum". The PZL-104 Wilga was developed in Poland in 1955 to train the Polish pilots. This aircraft was used alongside the An-2 to train pilots for transport aircraft. The PZL TS-11 Iskra was developed in the early 60s; this small aircraft would be the primary jet trainer of the Polish Air Force. Besides the aircraft also helicopters would be used which were mostly of Russian origin. These helicopters were the Mi-1 "Hare", Mi-4 "Hound", Mi-8/17 "Hip" and Mi-24 "Hind".
After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989 and the disarmament in Europe, the Polish Air Force was reduced drastically. The Polish Air Force had at that time a lot of aircraft. Poland was located in the time of the Communism and the Soviet influence very strategically between the Iron Curtain and the Soviet Union. There were in addition to the Polish units also many Russian units stationed in Poland. The 4th Air Army (4 Vozdushnaya Armiya) was withdrawn after the Cold War from Poland to Russia. This unit was part of the Soviet Northern army’s and was mainly stationed in Poland. The Polish Air Force was at that time a strong air force and had in 1990 types such as the MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-29, Su-20 and Su-22 in use. This group of aircraft would remain in use within the Polish Air Force after the fall of the Soviet Union. The Lim-6 fighter-bombers were already retired from service in the early 90s. After this period of political change, a new era would start for the Polish Air Force. The country would be increasingly focused on the West at the beginning of the 90s. The next type which would be phased out was the MiG-23 "Flogger" in 1999. A total of 36 MiG-23MF single-seaters and six MiG-23UB trainers were still in operational service. These aircraft were stationed at the airbase Slupsk in northern Poland. After the retirement of the MiG-23, eventually also the MiG-21 "Fishbed" was phased out in 2003. The MiG-21 was at that time stationed at Poznan and Łask in the middle of the country. Poland had after this period only the MiG-29 "Fulcrum" and the Su-22 "Fitter" in use until it would eventually gain access to western aircraft.
From 1999, much would change in Poland in the military structure. The country was admitted to the NATO from 1999 and since then Poland has become a Western country regarding its military structure. The brigade and regimental structure of the Soviet Union was converted into a wing and squadron structure which is used in the West. Poland took several steps towards a full NATO structure and organization and would adjust accordingly. The formal successor of the MiG-21 was after several years of evaluating the Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon. The F-16 had won a competition with the new Saab JAS-39 Gripen and the existing Dassault Mirage 2000. In the future, Poland will possibly enter the JSF program. It is not clear whether the country will make this step because the program does not run smoothly. The JSF is going to replace the outdated Su-22 in the role of fighter-bomber. In the recent years Poland has its transport fleet drastically modernized. The outdated An-26 "Curl" transport aircraft were replaced by the American Lockheed C-130 Hercules and the Spanish CASA C-295. Also the helicopter fleet will be changed in the next few years. Poland has already decided to buy the French EC725 Caracal as a replacement for the aging Mi-8 “Hip” transport helicopters. In addition to these actions which are already started, Poland is also considering the purchase of the Boeing AH-64D Apache attack helicopter as a replacement for the Russian Mi-24 "Hind". The decisions for the replacement of the "Hind" have not yet been made.Besides the Apache, other options are still open for this replacement.
The 1 Tactical Air Wing
The first tactical wing of the Polish Air Force is in Polish referred to as the 1 Skrzydło Lotnictwa Taktycznego (1.SLT). The 1.SLT is a small self-contained air force within the Polish Air Force and is able to perform all military tasks with its fighters.The headquarters of the 1.SLT is stationed on the airbase of Świdwin. The 1.SLT is equipped with the MiG-29 "Fulcrum" which is deployed in the air defense role and Su-22 "Fitter" which is deployed in the offensive role. The 1.SLT is a direct descendant of the third Brandenburg Fighter Division from the early days of the Cold War. Later this Fighter Division would be renumbered to the 3rd Fighter Bomber Division. Since 1998 the division has been renumbered to the NATO squadron wing system and received the designation 1.SLT. The main tasks of the 1.SLT are defending the Polish airspace against unwanted intruders, attacking enemy ground targets and institutions, providing reconnaissance information and support of ground forces. The 1.SLT consists of four airfields, namely; Miroslawiec, Świdwin, Malbork and Mińsk Mazowiecki. Miroslawiec air base is the first airbase of the 1.SLT and is referred to as 12 Baza Lotnictwa Taktycznego (12.BLT) Miroslawiec. This airbase has currently no operational units and therefore Miroslawiec is a sleeping air base. However, the site is an alternative airbase for operationalunits. Until the end of 2010 the 8 Eskadra Lotnictwa Taktycznego (8.elt) was based at Miroslawiec; the unit was moved to Świdwin.