Polish Navy M-28B deployed to Turkey
On 12 April 2021, a Lotnictwo Marynarki Wojennej (LMW, Polish Navy) PZL M-28B Bryza 1R left Gdynia/Babie Doly (Poland) for Turkey to participate in the NATO TAMT (Tailored Assurance Measures Turkey).
The Bryza, serial 1006 and operated by 44.BLotM at Cewice/Siemerowice, is reported to operate in the eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea. According to Turkish news sites, the Bryza is temporary based at Incirlik in the south of Turkey and close to the eastern Mediterranean.
Back in 2015, NATO initiated the TAMT deployment, following a Turkish request emerging after the situation on the Syrian border got more intense. The mission involved the extra presence of aerial early-warning assets (AWACS), enhanced presence in the eastern Mediterranean area, reconnaissance and intel-gathering activities, and sharing the information.
The TAMT deployment will be the first mission for Poland to undertake on Turkish territory. In September 2020, the Polish president Andrzej Duda officially decided to deploy one M-28 Bryza and up to 80 soldiers to Turkey. On a recent Turkish appeal to the MATO allies related to the the worsening security on the Syrian-Turkish border, Poland issued a positive response. The Polish president emphasized that the mission is not a combat deployment. It involves the enhanced presence of aerial warning assets and tracking the maritime activities.
The Polish Navy operates eight M-28N Bryza 1R and two M-28B Bryza 1R maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft. This version has been fitted with the ARS-400/ARS-800 radar, Chelcton distress signal tracker, and LS-10 datalink. It also can drop a rescue raft during SAR operations. The crew consists of two pilots, an engineer and up to three operators handling the radars and datalink.
The Bryzas are operated by the 44.BLotM from two air bases; Cewice/Siemerowice and Darlowo, both located in the north of the country near the Baltic Sea.
Photo: Lotnictwo Marynarki Wojennej - LMW