Helicopter tender could create 5,800 jobs: PZL Świdnik
PR dla Zagranicy
Roberto Galea
25.05.2016 13:06
If Polish helicopter manufacturer PZL Świdnik won a tender for equipping the country’s army it could potentially create 5,800 jobs, the company’s CEO has said.
The AW149 helicopter produced by PZL Świdnik. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The company is hoping that it will be strong contender if a tender to equip the Polish army were to be re-run.
Poland selected French Airbus Helicopters as the winner of the tender to purchase 50 Eurocopter EC725 helicopters in April 2015.
The Law and Justice (PiS) party, which won a general election in October, has indicated that it will likely cancel the initial contract for military helicopters signed by the former government. PiS argued that the contract should have gone to a Polish company.
PZL Świdnik was one of three firms competing in the tender for military helicopters. The others were Airbus and Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation.
Krzysztof Krystowski, the CEO of PZL Świdnik, said: “A year later [after the tender winner was announced], the contract has not yet been signed, which fills us with hope that the tender will be cancelled."
If this were to happen, the company would again offer the AW149 helicopter in cooperation with Polish partners, mainly from the Polish Armament Group.
“This is the helicopter which from the very beginning we considered to be not only a source of income but, above all, a new Polish aeronautics platform, which would be built at PZL Świdnik,” Krystowski said. (rg/pk)