Washington [US], October 24: The US State Department has approved a $7.3 billion upgrade package for Poland's F-16 fighter jet fleet.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) of the US Department of Defense announced the above move of the US State Department on the DSCA website on October 23. DSCA added that they have notified the US Congress to consider approving the F-16 upgrade package for Poland .
"This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a NATO ally that is a force for political and economic stability in Europe," DSCA stressed in the announcement.
Also according to DSCA, the new proposal will allow Poland to modify and upgrade its existing F-16 aircraft to the new Viper configuration and this upgrade will help enhance Poland's air defense and surveillance capabilities, support national security and strengthen Poland's defense and contribution to NATO.
"The Government of Poland already has F-16 aircraft in its arsenal and would have no difficulty in adopting these aircraft and services into its armed forces," DSCA assessed, stressing that the F-16 upgrade package for Poland would not alter the basic military balance in the region.
Previously, Stars and Stripes newspaper on June 28 quoted US Army spokesman Terry Welch as saying that 14 M1 Abrams battle tanks and an M88 armored recovery vehicle of this force arrived at the APS-2 storage facility in the village of Powidz, Poland on June 27.
The US Army has stressed that the APS-2 storage facility is NATO's most important infrastructure in more than three decades and will be fully operational next year. The APS facility in Poland is intended to bolster NATO's defense capabilities in Eastern Europe amid heightened tensions between the alliance and Russia over the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper