The U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Cameron Munter today presented Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification for the M-28 Skytruck aircraft to the president of Polskie Zakłady Lotnicze (PZL), Zbigniew Działowski. Officials from the Polish Government and Lockheed Martin joined Munter in the ceremony at the Bemowo Airport.
”This certification represents another milestone in the important work our two governments are doing together in aviation,” said Munter. “It is the result of years of hard work at PZL Mielec, at the FAA in Omaha, in Washington, and here in Warsaw. In essence, this document certifies not only that the Skytruck meets the highest standards in the world for safety, but that PZL uses strict standards in its manufacturing processes and management practices. Once again Poland, with its long and distinguished history in aviation, is proving to be a good partner in assuring the safety of the flying public.”
The certification means the U.S. Government has rigorously examined and officially approved the airworthiness of the Skytruck, the flagship product of Poland's aircraft industry, manufactured by the PZL Corporation in Mielec. The M-28 Skytruck is a multi-purpose, twin-engine airplane that can be adapted for operation on different kinds of runways, at high-elevation airfields and in different weather conditions.
The Skytruck and its certification are a significant component of Lockheed Martin’s offset program, linked to the company’s sale of F-16s to Poland.
"We are delighted that Mielec has obtained this certificate as part of our offset program. This will open up a potential market for the Skytruck, not only in North America, but also other countries in the world looking to the FAA certificate as evidence of an aircraft's airworthiness. Mielec now has the opportunity to become a genuine player in the global aviation marketplace", said Philip Georgariou, Poland Offset Director for Lockheed Martin.
This certification is one of several U.S.-Polish cooperative efforts in aviation, including a recently implemented Open Skies agreement, as well as efforts that returned Poland to the top safety category in the U.S. International Aviation Safety Assessment program.
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