The US offer of 16 used F-16 fighters for nearly free "is the most advanced and the most concrete" to modernize the Polish air force, Defense Minister Bronislaw Komorowski said Friday upon his return from the United States.
Komorowski, who had been in Washington since Tuesday to discuss the offer, told journalists that Poland will probably announce soon a formal tender to acquire a new multi-role fighter to replace its fleet of aging Soviet MiG 21s.
A tender would require fighters be offered to Poland at nearly no cost and be "fully compatible" with the standards of NATO, which Poland joined last year, said the minister.
While Komorowski made it clear he prefers the US offer for the F-16s, he said "there is nothing stopping us from examining other offers."
"Poland doesn't have any money" he added. "It would be better if we had a lot of money, but we don't. We can't discuss imaginary situations but reality."
Komorowski said it was imperative that the government quickly make a special appropriation in next year's budget of 100 million zlotys (25.5 million euros, 21.8 million dollars) as part of an initial payment for the planes.
Regarding the offer by British-Swedish consortium British Aerospace-SAAB, which has proposed 18 fourth-generation Gripen JAS-39 fighters on similar terms as the F-16s, Komorowski said "I wouldn't want to say anything bad about the Gripen, but would note that there exists a certain logic in the government's actions."
Komorowski said his Swedish counterpart, Bjoern von Sydow, plans to visit Poland in the future to specify the offer for the Gripens.
While visiting Poland in June US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright offered Poland free-of-charge for a term of five years beginning in 2002 the use of 12 used single-seat F-16 AB planes and four two-seat versions that have been withdrawn from service in the United States.
Warsaw would have to pay only for their modernization and training of pilots, at an estimated cost of 150-300 million dollars (173-346 million euros).
But Poland would be expected to buy an additional 48 F-16s in 2004-2005 for about 800 million dollars, or 13.3 million dollars per plane.
A third offer by the French aerospace company Dassault for Mirage 2000-5 fighters never seemed to raise any serious interest in Warsaw.
The pressure is on Poland to select a new multi-role fighter as its 200 aging MiG 21 fighters are expected to become completely worn out by 2005 -- WARSAW (AFP)
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