Finland, Germany, Switzerland and the Czech Republic succeeded, Poland did not. How the F-35 Lightning II case was mocked
When on January 31, 2020, Poland solemnly signed an intergovernmental agreement with the United States administration regarding the purchase of 32 Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II multi-role combat aircraft, the Ministry of National Defense clearly indicated that it was resigning from concluding an offset agreement, among others due to the closure of the program in industrial terms. As it turns out, others can and will reap significant financial benefits from it.
Much has been written about the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II multi-role combat aircraft. This is the first such widespread design, belonging to the 5th generation of Western jet combat machines, which beats the competing solutions of the 4th generation.
As the Lockheed Martin corporation emphasizes, the F-35 Lightning II won in every tender procedure announced in the world, where, of course, the aircraft was entered. In addition, the entire program is an international effort – in the 1990s and early 2000s, the UK, the Netherlands, Italy, Norway, Canada, Australia, Denmark and Turkey joined the project. In addition, Israel and Singapore were granted observer status.
The above-mentioned countries, thanks to their financial commitment, received guarantees for the production of components, equipment and armament for all recipients of the F-35 Lightning II in the world. So far (as at the end of July), Lockheed Martin has delivered over 950 serial machines of this type, which have spent nearly 700,000 hours in the air. hours.
The flow of subsequent orders means that the production will last for years, as well as subsequent service and modernization works.
Of these countries, Turkey was excluded in 2019 under the US CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act). This was the result of the decision of the Turkish authorities to purchase and start deliveries of Russian S-400 anti-aircraft systems. Local industry was the supplier of about 800 construction elements, about half of which were produced exclusively in Turkey. In the following months, Lockheed Martin, together with the federal authorities of the United States, searched for new suppliers of products manufactured in Turkey (which were to be delivered until the end of periodic production contracts, in some cases until the end of 2022).
