NATO ally Poland signed a $250 million contract to upgrade its F-16s and equip the jets with JASSM advanced cruise missiles in a ceremony at Poznan AB, Poland, on Dec. 11. “Never in history have we had such modern weapons as we are getting as a result of this deal,” Polish Defense Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said at the ceremony the same day, reported the Associated Press. Lockheed Martin will deliver a total of 40 AGM-158 JASSMs in addition to F-16 flight planning upgrades and associated training, parts, and logistics. “This sale demonstrates the very strong commitment of the United States to supporting Poland’s defense modernization, and will strengthen Poland’s capacity to meet current and future threats from enemy weapons systems,” stated US ambassador to Poland, Stephen Mull in a release announcing the sale earlier this year. The JASSMs will be delivered over the next two years and Poland plans to have them fully operational by 2017, according to AP.
The nation needs a better-coordinated policy for dealing with unmanned aerial systems that threaten domestic bases, Air Force vice chief of staff Gen. James C. Slife told a panel of the Senate Armed Services Committee. He and Pentagon acquisition and sustainment chief William LaPlante co-chair a panel looking at counter-UAS…