World military news December 29, 2024: Poland receives its first 5th generation F-35A aircraft when they arrive at Ebbing base for pilot training.
Poland receives first F-35A aircraft; Greece wants to provide old missiles to Ukraine... are the contents of today's world military news.
Greece wants to supply old missiles to Ukraine
Pronews portal is loading, The Greek government is preparing to send 24 RIM-7 Sea Sparrow air defense missiles to Ukraine.
The publication stressed that these missiles have been in use for nearly 40 years. They were taken from the reserves of the Greek navy and air force.
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| RIM-7 Sea Sparrow air defense missile. Photo: Getty |
In May 2024, photos emerged of the Ukrainian FrankenSAM air defense system, which includes Soviet launchers with RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missiles and American AIM-9 Sidewinder.
In December 2017, the Osa-AKM air defense missile system of the Armed Forces of Ukraine began to be equipped with R-73 air-to-air missiles due to a shortage of standard missile ammunition.
Poland receives first F-35A aircraft
The first two F-35A Lightning 2 multirole fighters intended for delivery to the Polish Air Force (Polish designation Hussar) landed at Ebbing Air Force Base in Fort Smith (Arkansas, USA).
The event marks the opening of the international F-35 pilot training center at Ebbing, which will also host F-35 pilots from Finland, Germany, Switzerland and Singapore in the coming years.
In September 2025, six Polish Air Force F-35A fighter jets will be stationed at Ebbing Air Base, which will be used to train personnel for the Polish Armed Forces. Currently, the first two Polish pilots are undergoing the first phase of theoretical training at Eglin Air Force Base (Florida).
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| Poland's first F-35A 5th generation fighter. (Photo: Defense News) |
Poland's 32nd Air Base (Lask) is expected to receive its first F-35As in early 2026. One of the two squadrons re-equipped with F-35s in the Eastern European country will be based there.
The Polish Air Force's purchase of F-35A fighter jets (conventional take-off and landing version) is being carried out within the framework of the Harpia program, which is part of the Polish Armed Forces' technical modernization plan for 2021-2035. The decision to purchase was announced after a comprehensive market analysis by the Polish Air Force.
In September 2019, the US State Department approved the possible transfer of 32 F-35A fighter aircraft and other related equipment and services to Poland under the Foreign Military Sales program with a total contract value estimated at approximately $6.5 billion.
The official signing ceremony of the contract for the purchase of 32 F-35A Lightning-2 fighter aircraft for the Polish Air Force in the Block.4 version with the Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3) package took place on January 31, 2020. The contract also provides for the provision of personnel training and logistics support, including the provision of spare parts, simulators, and automated logistics and information systems. The contract cost is $4.6 billion.
Assembly of the first F-35As for the Polish Air Force began in April 2023. The aircraft handover ceremony took place in Fort Worth, Texas, in August 2024. The test flight of the Polish F-35A took place in early December 2024. The first six F-35s will be delivered to Poland between 2024 and 2025. The first F-35A will arrive in Poland in 2026. Deliveries will continue until 2030.
China tests ballistic missile for anti-ship mission
Satellite images of an area in the Taklimakan Desert in China’s Xinjiang have been published online, showing miniature models of the warships, which are placed on 6-meter-wide guides that simulate the vehicles’ ability to move.
The models appeared on China's CCTV channel, showing a model aircraft carrier being attacked by an anti-ship ballistic missile. The attacking missile line could be the DF-21D or DF-26B, which the Chinese military has introduced as an "aircraft carrier killer".
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| Model of a warship used as a target for Chinese ballistic missiles. Photo: Defense News |
Regarding this event, Western press said and pointed out that Iran had previously done the same thing when creating a 2/3 scale model of an aircraft carrier. However, they also expressed skepticism about the possibility of success in using ballistic missiles for anti-ship missions.
Source: https://congthuong.vn/ban-tin-quan-su-the-gioi-29122024-ba-lan-nhan-may-bay-f-35a-366842.html
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