FA-50s Return to Home Base
On Tuesday, July 29, 2025, the press office of the 23rd Air Base in Mińsk Mazowiecki announced that, after an absence of more than five weeks, KAI FA-50GF Fighting Eagle light combat aircraft had returned to their home unit. The relocation to the 31st Air Base in Krzesiny (Poznań) was necessary due to essential maintenance work being carried out at the 23rd Air Base’s airfield. The location was chosen because of the similarities in the operation of the FA-50 and the F-16 Jastrząb aircraft.
Photos: 23rd Air Base in Mińsk Mazowiecki, 31st Air Base in Krzesiny
Thanks to the strong commitment of the entire component, several joint missions were successfully carried out, involving both types of aircraft. Additionally, during the relocation, F-16 pilots had the opportunity to fly the FA-50. At the same time, personnel from the 23rd Air Base participated in missions as crew members aboard the two-seat F-16 aircraft. This exchange of experience was a key aspect of the operation and has positively contributed to the outlook for further cooperation.
An important part of the relocation involved comparing operational practices among technical personnel from the Aviation Engineering Service, as well as from the Support and Logistics Group.
As a reminder, on September 16, 2022, Poland ordered 12 FA-50GF Block 10 aircraft for approximately 705 million USD net (3.36 billion PLN net / 4.14 billion PLN gross), all of which have been delivered, along with 36 FA-50PL Block 20 aircraft for 2.3 billion USD net (10.88 billion PLN net / 13.38 billion PLN gross), initially scheduled for delivery between 2025 and 2028. However, according to media reports, those deliveries are delayed. Eventually, the FA-50GFs are expected to be upgraded to the FA-50PL configuration.
Meanwhile, the Armament Agency announced on social media that, based on the experience of pilots trained in the Republic of Korea, a new training program is now being launched in Poland, utilizing domestic infrastructure and simulators delivered earlier this year.
Ciąg dalszy realizacji umowy wykonawczej na zakup 12 samolotów FA-50 z 2022 roku 👍
Bazując na doświadczeniach pilotów wyszkolonych w 🇰🇷 właśnie zaczyna się proces kształcenia nowej kadry w Polsce, w oparciu o 🇵🇱 infrastrukturę i dostarczone na początku br. symulatory.
Fot. 23… pic.twitter.com/2SgL7ZhmLL
— Agencja Uzbrojenia (@AgencjaUzbr) July 29, 2025
Hala z symulatorami dla FA-50GF oddana do użytku przez AMW Sinievia i 12 TOL w 23 BLT. Budowa: 1,5 roku.⬆️ @MStrembski @TheFuriousFafik pic.twitter.com/vQFrT5lDGw
— Artur Goławski (@AGolawski) July 28, 2025
Visit of Republic of Korea Envoy to the 23rd Air Base
On the same day, it was announced that on July 28, the 23rd Air Base had the honor of hosting the Special Envoy of the President of South Korea, Park Jie Won.
Photos: 23rd Air Base in Mińsk Mazowiecki
The purpose of the visit was to reaffirm the strategic partnership between Poland and South Korea and to highlight the importance of defense industry cooperation between the two nations. During the meeting, discussions focused on ongoing cooperation related to technical support for the FA-50 program, as well as key directions for its development in the near future.
Earlier in Warsaw, the South Korean envoy met with Deputy Minister of National Defence Paweł Bejda, who is responsible for overseeing the technical modernization of the Polish Armed Forces (Poland’s Deputy Defence Minister Meets with Special Envoy of the South Korean President).
Shortly afterward, it was announced that on Friday, August 1, during the President of the Republic of Korea, Lee Jae-myung’s visit to Poland, a contract for 180 K2 Black Panther tanks and 80 accompanying vehicles would be signed at Bumar-Łabędy Mechanical Works in Gliwice. The agreement, officially announced on July 2, is the next step in Poland’s ongoing defense procurement program (Polish Ministry of National Defence: New Contract for K2 Tanks and Support Vehicles Imminent).
