Poland is negotiating with Airbus towards an A400 purchase and according to Polish Radio 24 the Company has offered a direct deal covering between 10 and 14 aircraft. Other sources put the numbers between 8 and 15 with the belief that the final purchase will be closer to the top rather than the bottom line.
During August, Poland’s Deputy Defense Minister Pawel Zalewski confirmed the existence of the talks with Airbus when speaking to Polish Radio 24. Poland is understood to be interested in the entire range of A400 capabilities, including Air-to-Air Refueling (AAR).
The A400, unlike the C-130, does not require a specialized, separate variant to deliver the AAR capability but, of course, a kit comprising the drogue pods and, if included, the centerline drogue as well, must be separately procured.
The interest in the air to air refueling capability might or might not be diminished by the confirmation that Poland is also now acquiring 4 dedicated A330 MRTT tankers by 2030.
The procurement of the A400s would be financed through the the EU’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE) mechanism. At the Ankara NATO summit in July, Poland and Croatia notably joined the newly established NATO initiative for a multinational A400 fleet arrangement. Unlike the other member countries Belgium, France, Spain, Turkey and the UK, neither Poland nor Croatia are currently users of the type.
The proposed multinational A400M capability could eventually combine aircraft availability, training, maintenance, spare parts, logistics support and flying-hour access across the participating countries. Joint new purchases might also be possible. Germany is reportedly considering new purchases and the United Kingdom also has a known ambition for more airframes, although the Defence Investment Plan failed to allocate any funding to new buys at least until 2030.
Airbus needs the new orders to keep the production line going. The majority of the 178 aircraft currently on order have already been delivered and by the end of 2028 production could end. Airbus says that a minimum rate of 8 aircraft per year is needed to keep the assembly line in Seville active.
Deputy Defense Minister Pawel Zalewski noted in August that the A400s could be used not only for their well-known tactical and semi-strategic transport capabilities but also, potentially, as future launcher platforms for palletized cruise missiles or smaller stand-off munitions and/or drones. He also flagged interest for the firefighting capability: the firebomber kit has debuted operationally in France earlier this summer.
Poland’s Air Force has only recently gradually introduced into service (between 2022 and mid-2026) 5 second-hand C-130H to replace an equal number of the previous, even older C-130Es. Currently the C-130H is the largest available airlifter.
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