Polish government eyes Chinook buy as heavy-lift military workhorse

WARSAW, Poland — Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz has announced the country is mulling plans to purchase heavy-lift helicopters for its armed forces, opening the door for another sizable U.S. arms export to the European nation.

Kosiniak-Kamysz said Boeing’s CH-47F Chinook is a considered option because its capabilities “are unique and immense.” He did not disclose the number of copters that would be acquired under the program.

“I believe that [the Polish military] also needs larger helicopters which could provide efficient support by transporting ‘big bags,’ or soldiers, into locations that are difficult to access,” the minister said in an interview with local news site Portal Obronny. “I have not talked about it anywhere else, but, at the ministry, we are thinking about it because … we need such gear.”

In addition to their use for military operations, the new copters could also be used by the armed forces for disaster relief operations, according to Kosiniak-Kamysz. The politician was referring to the widespread floods which hit Poland’s south-western regions last month. On Sept. 18, the Polish Ministry of National Defence announced that around 14,000 soldiers were involved in the response to the floods.

With the potential purchase in mind, Boeing, the manufacturer of the Chinook, has intensified its efforts to promote the helo in the Polish market. The company presented the aircraft at the MSPO defense industry show, the country’s largest annual industry event, which was held between Sept. 2 and 5 in Kielce, central Poland.

Should Poland decide to purchase Chinook copters for its military, this would mark another major deal to be awarded by Warsaw to Boeing. In August 2024, the Polish ministry signed a contract with the United States government to buy 96 AH-64E Apache attack copters with related gear and weapons. The deal is worth around $10 billion.

Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.

波兰华沙——波兰国防部长瓦迪斯瓦夫·科西尼亚克-卡米什宣布，该国正在考虑为其武装部队购买重型运输直升机，这为美国向这个欧洲国家出口大量武器打开了大门。

科西尼亚克-卡米什表示，波音公司的CH-47F“支奴干”直升机是备选方案之一，因为它的性能“独一无二且非常强大”。但他没有透露该项目将采购多少架直升机。

“我认为（波兰军队）也需要更大的直升机，以便将‘大件物资’或士兵运送到难以到达的地点，从而提供高效的支援，”这位部长在接受当地新闻网站Portal Obronny采访时表示。“我之前没有在其他场合谈论过这件事，但在国防部，我们正在考虑，因为……我们需要这样的装备。”

科西尼亚克-卡米什表示，除了用于军事行动外，这些新型直升机还可以被军队用于灾害救援行动。这位政治家指的是上个月袭击波兰西南部地区的广泛洪灾。9月18日，波兰国防部宣布，约有14000名士兵参与了洪灾救援工作。

考虑到潜在的采购需求，奇努克直升机的制造商波音公司加大了在波兰市场的推广力度。该公司在9月2日至5日于波兰中部城市凯尔采举行的MSPO防务工业展上展示了这款飞机。MSPO是波兰规模最大的年度行业盛会。

如果波兰决定为其军队采购奇努克直升机，这将是华沙授予波音公司的又一笔重大交易。2024年8月，波兰国防部与美国政府签署了一份合同，购买96架AH-64E阿帕奇攻击直升机及相关装备和武器。该合同价值约100亿美元。

Jaroslaw Adamowski 是《防务新闻》驻波兰记者。