Airbus, Boeing angle for Polish tanker aircraft deal

WARSAW, Poland — The Polish Ministry of National Ministry is advancing plans to buy new transport and refueling aircraft, with major players Airbus and Boeing intensifying their rivalry for potential contracts.

A Polish MoD spokesperson confirmed the ministry’s aircraft procurement plans, but also said the final scope of these purchases is yet to be defined.

“Poland is considering to accelerate the acquisition of air refueling capabilities. We are interested in acquiring aircraft capable of acting both as air tankers and transport aircraft under the Karkonosze program,” the spokesperson told Defense News.

The Polish ministry plans to buy refueling planes to service the country’s growing fleet of fighters. Poland operates F-16 jets and FA-50 light attack aircraft, among others, and is awaiting the delivery of the first of its 32 ordered F-35 fighters in 2026.

Local observers name Airbus’s A330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) as one of the forerunners for the potential order. The ministry is also considering to acquire the European group’s A400M transport aircraft, Germany’s Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said in January 2025 during a visit to the Airbus Defence and Space plant in Bremen, German specialist news site Hartpunkt.de reported.

Meanwhile, as Poland’s government is mulling plans to purchase shares in Airbus, Warsaw could combine its investment with buying between two and four A330 MRTT aircraft and between six and eight A400M planes for the Polish military, according to French daily Le Monde.

The European group will likely compete for the potential order against Boeing which has been heavily promoting its KC-46 tanker in Poland alongside the F-15EX fighter jet offer for the country’s Air Force. The Polish military is considering to acquire a further 32 fighter jets, and it is also assessing the Eurofighter Typhoon and buying more F-35s.

In a major win for Boeing, in August 2024, Poland signed a deal worth about $10 billion to purchase 96 AH-64E Apache copters. The deal was followed by a $300 million contract signed in February under which the Ministry of National Defence leased eight Boeing AH-64D helos from the United States this year.

Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.

波兰华沙——波兰国家运输部正在推进购买新型运输和加油飞机的计划，主要参与者空客和波音正在加剧为争取潜在合同而展开的竞争。

波兰国防部发言人证实了该部飞机采购计划，但也表示这些采购的最终规模尚未确定。

“波兰正在考虑加快空中加油能力的获取。我们有意根据卡尔科诺谢计划采购既能作为空中加油机又能作为运输机的飞机，”发言人告诉《防务新闻》。

波兰国防部计划采购加油机，以服务于该国日益壮大的战斗机机队。波兰目前装备有F-16战斗机和FA-50轻型攻击机等机型，并正在等待其订购的32架F-35战斗机中的首架于2026年交付。

当地观察人士认为，空客A330多用途加油运输机（MRTT）是潜在订单的热门机型之一。据德国专业新闻网站Hartpunkt.de报道，德国国防部长鲍里斯·皮斯托里乌斯在2025年1月访问位于不来梅的空客防务与航天公司工厂时表示，国防部也在考虑采购这家欧洲集团的A400M运输机。

与此同时，据法国《世界报》报道，波兰政府正在考虑购买空客股份的计划，华沙可能会将这项投资与为波兰军方购买两到四架A330 MRTT飞机和六到八架A400M飞机结合起来。

这家欧洲集团很可能将与波音公司竞争这份潜在订单。波音公司一直在波兰大力推广其KC-46加油机，同时还向波兰空军推销F-15EX战斗机。波兰军方正在考虑增购32架战斗机，同时也在评估欧洲台风战斗机，并计划购买更多F-35战斗机。

波音公司取得重大胜利，2024年8月，波兰签署了一份价值约100亿美元的合同，购买96架AH-64E“阿帕奇”武装直升机。紧随其后，波兰国防部于今年2月签署了一份价值3亿美元的合同，从美国租赁了8架波音AH-64D武装直升机。

Jaroslaw Adamowski 是《防务新闻》驻波兰记者。