British defence engineering company Babcock will contribute to local industry sustainment and training for Polish Armed Forces’ helicopters, according to a 1 October 2025, press release.
A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed with Wojskowe Zakłady Lotnicze No. 1 (WZL 1) to explore the development of a joint sustainment and support centre for the Polish Armed Forces’ helicopter fleet, alongside a technical training centre designed to improve readiness and long-term capability.
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The announcement follows the Strategic Cooperation Agreement signed in September at the MSPO in Kielce between Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ), a state-owned defence conglomerate, and Babcock to expand collaboration across sea and air domains.
Together with WZL 1, a company which is part of PGZ, the two companies will develop a solution to ensure Polish industry can independently maintain and support modern helicopters, while also training technical personnel to the highest standards.
The Polish government have made agreements with US defence primes and Foreign Military Sales to acquire new helicopters including 96 Apache attack helicopters and 11 S-70i Black Hawk utility rotorcraft, and they are in talks with Boeing on the prospect of procuring the CH-47 Chinook.
Likewise, on 25 September 2023, the former Minister of National Defense Mariusz Błaszczak signed an offset agreement with Lockheed Martin to build Apache helicopters.
“A fully prepared and ready to deploy helicopter fleet, plays a central role in Poland’s national and international security,” observed Pierre Basquin, chief executive of Babcock’s Aviation Sector. “This partnership marks a significant step forward in strengthening Poland’s defence autonomy and we are proud to work with WZL 1 on this exciting opportunity.”
According to Polish government figures, the nation is steadily increasing defence spending: in 2026, funding for the Polish military will amount to 4.81% of GDP.
Nearly 1,000 domestic companies have already applied to PGZ, declaring readiness to cooperate and to use Polish funds for domestic production.
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