Polish Air Force
In May 2008 Jetwash Aviation Photo's visited Poland to see the PLAF in action at close quarters. The original plan was to visit in late March, however due to a NATO exercise taking place within the country we had to postpone our visit at very short notice. Fortunately our hosts were more than co-operative in re-arranging dates for us and so it was that on the morning of 7th May our three day tour into the former 'Warsaw Pact' to visit the Sily Powietrzne Rzeczpospolitej Polskiej commenced.
Our first stop was at Swidwin Air Base, home to 40 ELT (Tactical Air Squadron) and the mighty Sukhoi SU-22 'Fitter'. Described by PLAF crews as a 'blind heavyweight boxer', due to it's lack of a radar. This was high on our list of priorities to be seen and photographed up close and personal. After a couple of hours wasted obtaining access to the base due to our details not being faxed through from Warsaw, we finally made it through the gate and into 'Fitter Country'. Fortunately the weather held fine and so it was onto the ramps to photograph our quarry.
8101 from 40 ELT sits in the glorious sunshine at Swidwin Air Base on 7th May 2008
Introduced in 1984 to the Polish Air Force the Sukhoi SU-22 is planned to stay in service until at least 2012. However numbers are dwindling as we go to press with 6 & 7 ELT having already relinquished their last few aircraft. The SU-22 is the export variant of the Sukhoi SU-17M-4 as used by the Soviet/Russian Air Forces. It is a single seat variable geometry (swing-wing) fighter-bomber aircraft.
Swidwin Air Base (21 BLOT) 
Air Base 21 (21 BLOT) Swidwin is home to the Sukhoi's of 40 ELT (part of NATO's Rapid Reaction Force) and has a current compliment of around twenty aircraft. Unfortunately for us we chose a 'Technical Day' to visit, resulting in no flying activity. Any other day that week and we would have been okay, but once a week this break in flying activities allows for minor maintenance and repairs to take place as necessary.
Nevertheless, Kapitan Machaj was more than happy to show us the hardened aircraft shelters (HAS) complex and some of the aircraft inside, along with those undergoing maintenance outside on the ramps.
A Sukhoi SU-22M-4 in 7 ELT marks seen on the Swidwin ramp on 7th May
Sukhoi SU-22UM-3K number 707 sits in a HAS at Swidwin carrying a "Tiger" scheme
Close up view of a KKR-1 recce pod on the centreline of a Swidwin based SU-22M-4
Very much a plus at Swidwin was the weather, with the sun blazing throughout our visit thee, allowing great photo opportunities. It was eerie to think that some twenty years ago this base, along with the others we planned to visit, were part of WarPac and very much Communist Block territory, how times have changed since the PLAF entered NATO in 1999.
An ex 7 ELT aircraft gets towed back to its shelter after maintenance out on the ramp at Swidwin. 7 ELT was based at Powidz
Miroslawiec Air Base (12 BLOT)
Michael Szostak agreed to meet us bright and early the following morning at Miroslawiec, which is Air Base 12 (12 BLOT) of the Polish Air Force and also houses 'Fitters' in the form of 8 ELT. And so it was that at 7.30 am we arrived at the gate eager to get some more action. Michael was there waiting for us and we immediately headed off to the maintenance hanger where 506, 3203, 9409 and 9615 were in residence. The Sukhoi's undergo maintenance here after 100 and 200 hours, all major overhauls being done at WZL-2 in Bydgoszcz.
After the maintenance hanger we then had a quick look around the eight stored aircraft outside before eagerly setting off for the flightline. We were not disappointed. Eight aircraft on the ramp in the early morning sun awaited us, and boy were they worth the wait! Flying normally commences around 8.30, although upon our arrival little activity was in evidence.
The early morning ramp at Miroslawiec 8th May 2008
SU-22UM-3K number 508 awaits its crew. This aircraft took off in the first wave of the morning at around 9.15 AM
A number of the aircraft sported special colour schemes at Miroslawiec
3201 gets towed to the maintenance area early on the morning of 8th May
After the flightline we headed for the tower to see the first wave of aircraft off. Both Swidwin and Miroslawiec are typical of the old Soviet style airfields in that they have a single runway, shelter areas scattered around the edges, a tower in the centre of the runway and a flightline to the left from which all aircraft operations are conducted. No flying is done directly to and from the shelter areas.
8818 heads for the 'Last Chance Check Point' before launch. The mission lasted around 30-40 minutes.
Twin-seat 508 follows out for the four-ship launch. Note the high visibilty orange flying suits worn by the crew
SU-22M-4 number 8309 in standard PLAF camouflage awaits its pilot for the first mission of the day on 8th May 2008
Having watched the first-four-ship launch disappear into the distance it was time to say goodbye to our hosts at Miroslawiec and set off for Poznan-Krzesiny Air Base to meet up with the PLAF's latest acquisition, the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon's of 31 BLOT
Poznan-Krzesiny Air Base (31 BLOT) 
Having arrived at Poznan quite late in the afternoon we were greeted by Kapitan Krzyanowski, the Press Officer at Poznan-Krzesiny. Ever the joker we spent an entertaining couple of hours here with the Jastrzab (Hawk) as the F-16 is known in Poland. Forty eight aircraft are on order of which forty one are now on strength (four having arrived the previous evening). The first four aircraft arrived on November 9th 2006 and as yet none of the aircraft carry unit marks, and they are currently pooled between the two squadrons based here, which are 3 ELT and 6 ELT.
Unfortunately for us the afternoon at Poznan was the one time the sun did not shine upon us, and so we had to make the best of the poor light conditions here. It made it very difficult for us to obtain the quality of images we had hoped for, but maybe an excuse to return one day.
F-16C 4054 returns to its shelter after arriving back at Krzesiny from an afternoon mission
F-16C 4046 undergoes some 'minor sugery' in one of the new hardened aircraft shelters at Poznan
Once home to a Mig.21 unit it is very apparent how much money has been spent at the base in bringing it up to NATO standards. Everything is brand new. The aircraft, the tower and maintenance hangers, the HAS area and even the perimeter fence! It is in stark contrast to the facilities we experienced at Swidwin and Miroslawiec, most noticeably in the HAS area. Also unlike the other bases we visited the flying is conducted here from the HAS area as per normal NATO airfields and not a flightline.
The F-16's in the Polish Air Force are all Block 52+ airframes, the most up to date available to NATO and are powered by Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 turbojet engines. They all have 'glass' cockpits, active digital control, multi-mode radar, GPS, terrain following radar and helmet mounted display systems.
The HAS area itself is again typical of what you would expect to see at any other NATO airfield and Lask is currently udergoing a similar transformation.
Once completed it will house 10 ELT and around sixteen of the F-16's will transfer there.
An F-16C taxies in at Poznan
4062 taxying back to the HAS area
Followed by an F-16D on its way back to the HAS area
4077 provides an interesting comoparison with the F-16D above, as 4077 carries the conformal fuel tanks
F-16D's at Poznan have the enlarged dorsal spine similar to some Greek and Israeli aircraft.
They also have the ability to carry conformal fuel tanks as in this photo of 4077 which has just returned from a mission and is undergoing
checks by the ground crew before being pushed back into its shelter.
Bydgoszcz Air Base (2 BLOT) 
Friday 9th May saw us at Bydgoszcz having spent a comfortable night in the town of Inowraclaw, about one hours drive south of here which just happened to have a Polish Army helo base to it's north-east, so of course we paid it a quick visit. Bydgoszcz Air Base is home to 2 ELTL (Liaison & Transport Squadron) with An-2's, Mi-2's and W-3's plus the LGPR unit (SAR) with An-28's, Mi-2's, Mi-8's and W-3 helo's.
We were met here by Lt. Jacek Lorenc (a W-3 pilot) and Kapitan Marek Korolewski (An-28 pilot), with whom we spent an enjoyable and informative few hours. Marek had visited RAF Northolt in 2007 with one of the units Antonov 28's and informed me that this year a W-3 helicopter was due to attend the 'Photocall'.
2 ELTL still operates the Antonov An-2 for parachute training. There were four aircraft on base during our visit,
of which two were still operational. The An-2 was produced in huge quantities between 1947 and 1992, with some18,000 estimated as built.
One of the "Whiskey-Threes" of the 2 ELTL unit at Bygoszcz. This is a PZL W-3T Sokol variant.
Marek (left) and Jacek (right) pose by Sokol 0419 (an LGPR W-3RL variant) at Bydgoszcz.
Jacek had just flown this aircraft in from Poznan, where we had seen him the day before on our visit there.
Another PZL W-3T Sokol belonging to 2 ELTL, this time in the old camouflage scheme.
The 'T' model is thestandard transport version of this twin-engined multi-purpose helicopter.
The W-3 is produced in Poland by PZL-Swdnik and the prototype first flew in November 1979. A number of variants are utilised by the Polish armed forces, including SAR, transport, medivac and command post variants. The Unit also operates the veteran Mil Mi-2, three of which were present during our visit, with 2647 standing alert on SAR duties. Production began in 1965 and over 7,000 were manufactured at the PZL factory in Poland under licence. It still serves in vast numbers with the Polish Air Force, Army and Navy.
Contrast between the old and the new is not that different. No 'glass cockpits' here. Mi-2 on the left and W-3 on the right
Mil Mi-2 4507 looking resplendent in the midday sun
7838 and 4507 await their missions on the Bydgoszcz ramp
The Mi-2 was developed in the early 1960's by the Mil bureau as a turbine-powered version of the Mi-1. The Mi-2 was first flown in 1962, but was never put into production in its native Soviet Union. Instead responsibility for the type was assigned to WSK-Swidnik (now PZL), Poland as part of a eastern european rationalization programme, becoming the only Soviet-designed helicopter to be built solely outside the Soviet Union. Production in Poland started in 1965 and continued through to the 1990's when PZL began production of the W-3 helicopter.
There is also a small overhaul facility here for Mi-2 helicopters, a couple of which are seen above
0723 is one of two AN-28TD's on the strength of 2 ELTL.
The PZL An-28 Bryza is a twin engined STOL capable passenger/cargo transport and is used by all branches of the Polish armed forces in a variety of roles. The two based at Bydgoszcz are utilised by 2 ELTL for transport duties. They can carry up to 12 airborne troops or 18 passengers and are powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65B turboprops.
Thanks go to the following for help in arranging our visits:
Warrant Officer Mikolaj Mazurkiewicz (HQ Warsaw)
Kapitan Kazimierz Machaj (Swidwin)
Michael Szostak (Miroslawiec)
Kapitan Waldemar Kryzanowski (Poznan)
Kapitan Marek Korolewski (Bydgoszcz)
Lt. Jacek Lorenc (Bydgoszcz)
1st Lt. Pawel Szymanski (Bydgoszcz)
Dariusz Sokolski (WZL-2)