US to give Poland new $5.2b loan for arms purchases, report says
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Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki speaks in front of a newly acquired Polish F-35 Lightning II stealth strike fighter on June 12.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- The US will provide Poland a new US$4 billion loan for arms purchases, raising total US support to US$20 billion under the Foreign Military Financing programme.
- Poland's first F-35 jets made their inaugural flight, making it the first eastern NATO member to operate this advanced aircraft amid perceived Russian threats.
- Poland plans to add two more F-35 squadrons to boost defence capabilities, with deliveries of 32 jets scheduled to complete by 2029.
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WARSAW – The US will give Poland a new US$4 billion (S$5.2 billion) loan from the Foreign Military Financing programme, US Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Thomas DiNanno said on July 3 during the inaugural flight of F-35 jets bought from the US.
DiNanno told Polish news agency PAP the US would offer Poland the new loan for arms purchases, bringing the entire amount available to the country to US$20 billion.
Poland’s first F-35 fighter jets made the inaugural flight across the NATO-member state on July 3, as the country became the first on the alliance’s eastern flank to possess the aircraft amid what it sees as a threat from Russia.
Poland ordered 32 of the fifth generation jets in a US$4.6 billion deal in 2020. The first three arrived in May, with deliveries scheduled to be completed in 2029.
Polish officials say the F-35s will provide a major boost to the country’s defence capabilities. As well as featuring stealth technology, they have a range of sensors that collect data for the pilot and for other units.
The ceremony was attended by Polish President Karol Nawrocki, Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz and DiNanno as a representative of the US administration.
“In the armed forces development programme, we have included two additional squadrons of 5th-generation F-35 aircraft to strengthen the military,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said during the ceremony. REUTERS