First FA-50 aircraft in process of being delivered to Poland says minister

The first of 48 FA-50 combat aircraft purchased from South Korea are in the process of being delivered to Poland, the Polish defence minister has said.

Mariusz Blaszczak said negotiations were also underway for the construction of a service centre for the aircraft in Poland.

Poland has ramped up defence spending following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with the goal of becoming one of Europe's leading military powers

Blaszczak made the announcement in South Korea where he has had a series of meetings with his counterpart Lee Jong-sup and Eom Dong-hwan, the minister for the Defense Acquisition Programme Administration.

"The first of these modern aircraft are in the process of being delivered to Poland and this is an extremely important moment in the history of Poland's Armed Forces," Blaszczak said during the roll-out ceremony for the FA-50.

He added that from now the Polish Air Force would only use F-16s, FA-50s and, soon, F-35s.

"These three types come from the same family of excellent and modern aircraft," he said.

Blaszczak added: "We are also negotiating the details regarding the construction of a service centre in Poland based on cooperation between Korea Aerospace Industries and the Polish Armaments Group."