Polish Armed Forces has received their final of W-3PL Gluszec combat helicopters. PZL-Swidnik handed Polish Armed Forces last 2 series helicopters W-3PL Głuszec. Currently, Land Forces have supplied 8 rotary wing aircrafts of this type.
W-3PL Głuszec helicopter is a result of close cooperation between PZL-Świdnik, Polish Armed Forces and the Air Force Institute of Technology. The helicopter is in daily service of the 56th Air Base in Inowrocław. Głuszec is the newest version of Sokół rotorcraft modernized to meet combat support standards.
The helicopter is provided with state-of-the-art avionics integrated with the mission computer and with the equipment and armament (largely Polish-made) allowing it to fulfil a wide range of combat missions, i.e. CSAR, combat support, troop and cargo transport, convoy duties, surveillance and targeting, and air assault.
The following armament systems have been installed on the helicopter: a remote-controlled gun turret, armed with a 12.7mm machine gun mounted under the nose of the helicopter, a double-barrel 23mm cannon in dispenser, NATO 70mm standard rocket launchers, MIL 1553 bus-controlled flare and dipole chaff dispensers, jammer of IR missiles, head-up display; moreover integration covered the existing armament, i.e. 57mm and 80mm rockets, air-to-air missiles, small diameter bombs.
The first four Głuszec rotorcrafts were delivered to the Polish Army in December 2010. Then the second contract was signed for upgrade of another four Sokół helicopters to W-3PL version.
