Poland is in the middle of a SAR predicament. They recently backed out of a deal with Airbus and instead opened a procurement procedure to acquire several S-70i Black Hawk helicopters for their army in order to meet Urgent Operational Requirements.

The focus on army requirements leaves the maritime SAR capabilities low. The Mi-14 Haze helicopters they currently own and operate for SAR are aging, having been made in the 1980s, with retirement looming in the next two years. This puts a heavy strain on the SAR teams in the Polish Area of Responsibility in the Baltic Region.

If Poland doesn’t update their crafts they may face condemnation from the EU, as it is their political obligation to retain SAR services within their Area of Responsibility. A possible fix would be the procurement of second-hand SAR aircrafts, reports The Aviationist.