After prolonged wait Poland finally allocates new military aid package for Ukraine, but declared volume amounts to only €50 million, which from start hints at relatively small scale of deliveries.
These fifty million euros include delivery of unnamed quantity of 155mm and 152mm shells, Piorun MANPADS missiles, 20mm rounds for F-16 guns, and even two MiG-29s — one in flyable condition and one as spare parts donor. Against this backdrop question logically arises how in this aid package value of each piece of equipment and weapons is formally distributed.
Piorun MANPADS / Photo credit: PGZ
Polish Defense Ministry did not officially announce composition of this military aid package, so even in approximate terms, meaning delivery nomenclature, we can rely only on unofficial data from Polish press, primarily Rzeczpospolita outlet.
Based on open source data, for example market cost of Piorun MANPADS set (one launch tube and two missiles) is €1.83 million, but this is by 2023 realities. Against which we can assume Piorun in this aid package for Ukraine could have been taken from Polish Army stocks and valued at residual cost.
Regarding oddly small number of MiG-29s, picture looks as follows. Polish press proceeds from assumption that Ukraine demonstrates greater interest in receiving specifically Western-made aircraft now, meaning F-16, Mirage 2000 or JAS 39 Gripen.
MiG-29 repair and modernization process at Polish Air Force facilities at Wojskowe Zakłady Lotnicze No. 2 / Open source photo
Polish Armed Forces planned to retire available MiG-29s entirely in 2027 due to final exhaustion of service life. Against which scenario is entirely possible that one MiG-29 in flyable condition and one MiG-29 in spare parts donor state were possibly still best specimens in Polish MiG fleet.
Especially since earlier Poles themselves acknowledged their MiG-29s as so dangerous to operate that ideas even emerged to convert these aircraft into jet kamikaze drones. Meaning quite possibly these aircraft have extremely minimal value on Polish Armed Forces paperwork.
However overall picture shows official Warsaw has taken course toward minimizing direct support for Ukraine, therefore against this backdrop Polish side will hardly be able to claim exclusive role in military-political matters regarding our country.