"This is one of the last steps before the contract can be concluded," Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak tweeted.
He added: “But this is not the end of our work. We will be negotiating hard to secure the best possible price.”
Earlier this month the US Department of State approved the sale of 32 F-35 fighter jets to Poland for an estimated cost of USD 6.5 billion, according to the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA).
The agency said at the time that the planned deal aimed to “provide Poland with a credible defense capability to deter aggression in the region and ensure interoperability with U.S. forces."
The “proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by improving the security of a NATO ally which is an important force for political stability and economic progress in Europe," the DSCA said in a statement.
It added that the sale "is consistent with U.S. initiatives to provide key allies in the region with modern systems that will enhance interoperability with U.S. forces and increase security."
The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft, produced by American company Lockheed Martin, and related equipment and support are estimated to cost USD 6.5 billion, the agency said.
Poland's Błaszczak tweeted at the time that the purchase of the F-35 jets would be "the most important contract in the history of the Polish armed forces."
Meanwhile, the US ambassador to Poland, Georgette Mosbacher, hailed the planned deal as “another important step in Polish-US relations.”
“We are stronger together,” she tweeted.
Cutting-edge jets to replace Soviet-era aircraft
The White House in June conducted a flyover of two F-35 aircraft for Polish President Andrzej Duda as he was meeting US leader Donald Trump in Washington.
Błaszczak in May said that Poland aimed to buy 32 cutting-edge F-35A fighter jets from the United States as part of the country’s multibillion military upgrade programme.
Earlier President Duda said in a media interview that Poland was in talks with the United States to buy modern F-35 fighter jets for its air force to replace aging Soviet-designed MiG-29 aircraft.
In February, Poland's government signed a deal to buy 20 HIMARS artillery rocket systems from America for USD 414 million as part of a military modernisation drive.
Poland in March last year signed what officials described as a historic deal to buy an American Patriot air defence system for USD 4.75 billion.
Meanwhile, the Polish president in October 2017 signed into law plans to steadily increase the country’s defence spending to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2030.
(gs/pk)
Source: IAR