Ambassador Victor Ashe and Lt. Gen. Stanislaw Targosz, Commander of the Polish Air Force, were special guests at the sixth semi-annual program management review for the Polish F-16 Peace Sky program in Tucson, Arizona November 14-15. Tucson is the home of Raytheon Missile Systems and the 162nd Fighter Wing of the Arizona Air National Guard. The 162nd is responsible for training international pilots on the F-16. During this trip, Polish Air Force Lt. Col. Roscislaw Stepaniuk became the first Polish aviator to qualify as an F-16 pilot. Six more Polish Air Force pilots are now just beginning their training with the 162nd. The Ambassador and the General were able to visit with the Polish pilots along with members of the Polish media. The media members interviewed Gen. Targosz, Lt. Col. Stepaniuk and the other pilots, as well as Brig. Gen. Moisio, the commander of the 162nd. General Moisio lauded the hard work of the Polish pilots.
In addition, Ambassador Ashe and General Targosz visited the Raytheon factory which manufactures the AAMRAM air-to-air missile and the air-to-ground Maverick and Joint Standoff Weapons (JSOW) that will be carried by Poland’s F-16s.
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