Poland is evaluating the Pilatus PC-21 and Embraer A-29 Super Tucano as potential successors to its PZL-130 TC-II Orlik training aircraft. Polish military personnel conducted demonstration flights and assessed the associated training systems during 2026, as the country seeks a training capability better suited to pilots destined for fifth-generation aircraft and modernised F-16s. No procurement procedure has begun and no aircraft has been selected.
Major General Ireneusz Nowak, Operational Commander of the Polish Armed Forces, confirmed that the military has drawn conclusions from both evaluations but did not disclose which aircraft performed better or provide details of the findings. The requirement must first be incorporated into Poland’s operational-needs planning for 2025–2039 and its Technical Modernisation Plan.
The Orlik remains part of Poland’s pilot-training system, followed at a more advanced stage by the Leonardo M-346 Bielik. However, its capabilities are considered insufficient for preparing pilots for newer combat platforms, including the F-35A and F-16s after their Mid-Life Update modernisation.
The two candidates offer different approaches. The PC-21 is a dedicated advanced trainer designed to prepare pilots for frontline fighters, while the A-29 combines training with light-attack and reconnaissance functions and could also support counter-drone operations. Poland has not disclosed requirements, funding, an acquisition timetable or a final decision.