Kraków 2020-08-24
LET L-410 Turbolet. Border Guards.
Already in 2017, the Border Guard began the process of acquiring new aircraft. It was necessary to replace the exhausted aircraft: four PZL-104MF Wilga 2000 planes and four PZL-Kania helicopters. In 2018, the Border Guard Headquarters announced an unlimited tender for two more large planes, similar in size to the PZL M-28-05 Skytruck. Another, because since 2006, the Border Guard has been operating the PZL M-28-05 Skytruck aircraft, registration SN-60YG.
The ordering party was the Border Guard Headquarters. The subject of the order was the delivery of two brand new airplanes (manufactured not earlier than in 2018) with built-in additional equipment in each airplane. The planes were to be used by the Border Guard aviation to perform tasks over sea areas. This means that standard products were not the subject of the contract.
The Border Guard Headquarters presented the Specification of Essential Terms of the Contract (ToR), which mainly concerned: aircraft T-T data, specialized equipment, crew training, servicing, warranty conditions. It was specified that the plane was to be powered by two turboprop engines. Operating ceiling minimum 20,000 ft. Flight time 5.5 hours + 0.5 hour reserve. The maximum take-off run is 950 m. The maximum take-off run is 900 m. The maximum MTOW take-off weight ranges from 6,000 to 7,600 kg. Engine power ranging from 770 to 1200 SHP (horsepower measured on the shaft). All components were to be manufactured no earlier than 2018.
The Ordering Party indicated that the currently operated PZL M-28-05 aircraft in the "SG" version, along with the 360-degree radar, aerial observation system and UV scanner, meets the requirements of the Border Guard. The aircraft also achieves the required altitude (20,000 ft) and flight endurance (5 h 30 min and 30 min reserve).
The first tender was canceled because none of the offers fell within the planned budget. An adjustment was made and a second tender was launched, in which the budget was set at approximately PLN 113 million. As a result, seven offers were submitted. Only one offer exceeded this limit.
Finally, on June 26, 2018, the Border Guard decided on the PZL M-28-05 plane offered by the Parasnake Arkadiusz Szewczyk consortium from Kielce together with Airborne Technologies GmbH from Vienna. The offered value for two machines is PLN 109.2 million gross. The offer scored 99.63 points out of 100. The value of the planes, including their equipment, was estimated at PLN 109,224,000 gross. They were the M-28 Skytruck plane.
However, the tender was contested and the bids were re-examined. As a result, the LET L-410 UVP E-20 aircraft were selected, which were produced and put into service in the Border Guard.
Appeal in the National Appeals Chamber.
The National Appeal Chamber examined the case concerning the cancellation of the tender in which the PZL M-28-05 aircraft was selected. The Chamber disregarded many of the objections raised by the appellant. The Chamber did not indicate a specific breakdown of the provisions on public procurement, but ordered the contracting authority to reconsider the offers and select the most advantageous offer.
The Chamber indicated that it was impossible to provide the exact technical parameters of non-existent aircraft. All bidders provided aircraft data without specialist development. But only a real plane can show its true T-T data. It is impossible to judge what the plane will be like on the basis of the current type certificates. An example is the Textron Aviation Beechcraft King Air 250EP plane, which with a small load can stay in the air for 7 hours. However, when loaded, it may have a flight time of less than 5 hours, which is below the customer’s requirement. It should be mentioned that there were allegations relating to; engine power, ceiling in practice, weight of specialist equipment, granted warranty and breaches of a legal nature (paperwork). The verdict of the National Appeals Chamber was announced on August 22, 2018.
It is worth noting that the type certificate is issued for the existing aircraft and not for the planned version. The Chamber noted that the contracting authority’s actions were deliberate and aimed at extending competition. In addition, the procuring entity gave bidders sufficient time to build the participating aircraft and obtain an EASA Type Certificate or equivalent.
LET L-410 UVP E-20.
The LET L-410 Turbolet aircraft is an aircraft developed in Czechoslovakia and intended for communication as a dispatch machine, sanitary, photogrammetric and other aviation aircraft. The aircraft is manufactured by LET plants. The plane made its first flight on April 16, 1969. The first L-410 Turbolet plane arrived in Poland on May 15, 1988.
The LET L-410 UVP E-20 aircraft were manufactured in the Czech Republic at the plants of LET Aircraft Industries in Kunovice in the Zlin Region, Uherské Hradiště County. The purchased planes are stationed in Gdańsk, at the Rębiechowo airport, where a hangar, warehouse and technical facilities as well as administrative and social facilities have been built for them. The aircraft operator is the 1st Aviation Department of the Border Guard of the Border Guard of KGSG.
The purchase of these planes for the Border Guard was the result of the winning tender by the JB Investments and Aero Club consortium and the signed contract with the Border Guard Headquarters (KGSG) on January 29, 2019. The contract worth PLN 109,783,650 gross was financed from the Border Guards’ own funds (10%) and from the Internal Security Fund – Borders (90%).
The LET L-410 UVP E-20 planes are equipped with two turbine engines, allowing for quick access to the reconnaissance area. Due to the large engine power and size, the planes have a large lifting capacity and it is possible to install on board numerous observation and communication systems necessary for observation and reconnaissance.
Aircraft equipment includes radars enabling the initial identification of objects on the surface of water, land and in the air space, and a long-range aerial observation system up to about 200 km, enabling precise identification at a distance of up to 15 km. In addition, the crew has a satellite communication modem at their disposal, enabling real-time data transmission in the form of short videos and images, providing telephone communication in vast sea areas, automatic surface identification system (AIS) and crew emergency equipment necessary for long-distance flights. from the shoreline along with devices enabling the search of bodies of water in search of survivors.
On November 6, 2020, JB Investments announced that, together with the Border Guard (SG) at Gdańsk-Rębiechowo airport, technical commissioning of two LET Aircraft Industries L 410 UVP E-20 patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, which flew from the Czech Republic to Poland to Gdańsk on October 15, 2020. The planes received Polish SP-VST and SP-VSU registrations.
In December 2021, the planes entered service. The planes were directed to protect the border between Poland and Belarus, where illegal immigrants were still attacked by the Belarusian regime. From February 24, 2022, the tasks of the aircrews were extended to the borders of Poland – Ukraine due to the attack of Moscow troops on Ukraine.
Equipment of Polish LET L-410 UVP E-20 aircraft.
An absolute requirement of the Border Guard was the development of on-board specialist equipment. As expected, it was to be an observation system consisting of an optoelectronic head, with a daytime HD camera, an infrared camera, a laser rangefinder with a range of at least 20 km, an automatic tracking system, advanced image processing, and GPS and INS receivers.
The necessary equipment was a radar with 360-degree horizontal observation, which has a range of detection of at least 200 objects at a distance of at least 120 nautical miles (222.24 km). Each plane has the following systems: search for survivors, automatic identification of AIS type surface units and aerial observation. It has real-time data information transfer. The main task of the planes is also to search for survivors, thus supplementing the support for the tasks performed by POLAND NAVY. The patrolling range was determined to be 5.5 hours with a 30-minute reserve at a minimum cruising speed of 180 knots (333 km / h).
The crew of each LET L-410 UVP E-20 aircraft consists of seven officers: two pilots, two operators of on-board systems, an on-board technician, two additional members of the mission.
Data T-T L 410 UVP E-20:
Length 14.42 m. Span 19.98 m. Height 5.97 m. Own weight 4,200 kg. Maximum weight 6,600 kg. Cruising speed 405 km / h. 510 km range with a load of 1,500 kg. The maximum range is 1,500 km. Two General Electric H80-200 turbine engines, 800 hp (597 kW) each, driving five-blade Avia AV 725 propellers.
Written by Karol Placha Hetman