A Boeing F-15EX, Lockheed Martin F-35A, and Eurofighter Typhoon, all of which were promoted to Poland at the country's MSPO 2024 defence exhibition as it considers further fighter jet procurement. (Janes/US Air Force/Crown Copyright)
Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in combat air platforms took the opportunity to tout their aircraft for Poland's potential acquisition of a new twin-engine fighter jet, at the MSPO 2024 defence exhibition in Kielce, Poland, from 3 to 6 September.
Boeing promoted the F-15EX and Leonardo (on behalf of the Eurofighter consortium) the Eurofighter Typhoon although Poland's Ministry of National Defence (MND) is also considering procuring an additional tranche of Lockheed Matin F-35 Joint Strike Fighters (JSFs).
An acquisition plan continues to be worked up by the MND's General Staff Headquarters given the evolving nature of threats in Europe and further afield. Poland currently operates F-16 C/D Block 52+ jets and FA-50 light attack aircraft and is scheduled to receive 32 F-35A Lightning II JSFs. However, this has not stopped the Central Eastern European country considering adding an additional variant.
Team Eagle
During a media briefing at MSPO, ‘Team Eagle', the Boeing-led consortium featuring GE, BAE Systems, and Raytheon claimed the F-15EX is best suited to “get to the fight” first with a larger weapons load out compared with Typhoon or the F-35.
According to Boeing's F-15 chief pilot Matt Giese, the F-15EX would provide complementary capabilities to the Polish Air Force's current inventory of fighter jets with a 30,000 lb payload making it suitable for “any mission set”. These could range from high-end operations in contested environments through to low-end missions such as defensive counter-air operations, Giese explained.
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