Polish government accused of muddied procedures

Published: 2/28/2000

The $1.5bn tender for Poland's new multi-role combat aircraft is continuing to prove controversial. BAe, one of the contenders, with its JAS-39 Gripen, produced jointly with Saab, has accused the Polish government of applying “vague" rules for the tender. Rumours are circulating that the Polish government may have decided to purchase 60 second-hand F-16 fighters, produced by Lockheed Martin of the USA. According to Ray Lomas, of BAe Systems, “[If] this is true, it would mean that Poland lacks a transparent bidding process. So far, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has denied that any such decision has been made, but BAe has warned the government that, if the aircraft have been selected outside the tender procedures, it will consider revoking its existing cooperation with Polish aviation companies. A spokesman for the MoD said that the outcome of the tender would be announced later this year. Only last week, Boeing revised its tender proposal to comprise 60 F/A-18E/F fighters, including 12-18 used aircraft, on the grounds that the $1.5 billion budget is insufficient for new fighters. Associated articles: www.concise.org. 10th August 1999; 29th September 1999; 23rd February 2000

Article ID: 1484