“On 30 October 2023 in Nowy Glinnik, Minister of National Defence Mariusz Blaszczak will take part in the commissioning of new AW-149 helicopters to the soldiers of the 25th Air Cavalry Brigade”, informed Ministry of National Defence.

On 1 July 2022, a contract was signed selecting the AW149 helicopter for the army as part of the Perkoz multi-role support helicopter programme. At the time, Minister Błaszczak announced that the value of the contract was PLN 8 billion 250 million and that the helicopters would be delivered between 2023 and 2029.

It assumes the acquisition of 32 machines, which will be armed with Hellfire guided anti-tank missiles. The helicopters will serve in the 25th Air Cavalry Brigade.

AW149 is a multi-role helicopter manufactured by Leonardo (formerly AgustaWestland) at the Polish PZL-Świdnik plant, designed for transport, battlefield support and rescue tasks. The helicopter is an enlarged version of the AW139.

Configured to meet the needs of the Polish Armed Forces, the AW149 helicopters will be equipped with observation systems, gunner armament, guided and unguided missiles and self-defence systems. Depending on the helicopter’s variant of use, the armament may be installed in the cabin or on the helicopter’s hover points. The helicopters will perform both the tasks of transporting soldiers and supporting sub-units from the air.

The 25th Prince Józef Poniatowski Air Cavalry Brigade is an aeromobile tactical unit of the Land Forces deployed in Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Nowy Glinnik and Leźnica Wielka, in the Łódź province.

It is a formation designed to perform air-land tasks, combining the potential of a land component and helicopters performing both transport and support tasks. Soldiers of the 25th Air Cavalry Brigade gained their combat experience on missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Chad.

Adrian Andrzejewski