Polish Navy Mi-14s to be retired after four decades

On 31 August 2025, the Lotnictwo Marynarki Wojennej (LMW, Polish Navy) will officially retire its last Mi-14PL amphibious anti-submarine helicopters, marking the end of more than four decades of service.

The Mi-14 (NATO reporting name Haze) entered service in the 1980s and underwent numerous modernisations, including upgraded sonar systems and acoustic buoy integration to enhance submarine detection capabilities. Despite their continued operational value, both the airframes and onboard systems have reached the end of their service lives.

Sixteen Mi-14s were delivered in the 1980s plus one additional replacement aircraft in November 1990. Four Mi-14s were lost in accidents during the 1980s and early 1990s, while the remainder served through multiple upgrade programmes. The Mi-14PL and Mi-14PL/R variants are currently operated by the 44 Baza Lotnictwa Morskiego at Darłowo.

In April 2019, Poland signed a contract with Leonardo to acquire four AW101 Mk614 Merlin helicopters in anti-submarine (ASW) and search-and-rescue (SAR) configurations to replace the Mi-14 fleet. The first Merlins arrived in August 2023, with all deliveries completed by the end of that year.

Credit photo: Henk de Vries (Scramble Archive)