GE Aerospace (NYSE: GE) and Poland's Military Aviation Works (WZL-2) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore maintenance, repair, and overhaul capabilities for the F404-GE-102 engine, which powers the Polish Air Force's KAI FA-50 Golden Eagle fighter jets.

The agreement was announced at the 34th International Defence Industry Exhibition in Kielce, Poland. Under the MoU, the two companies will assess requirements for F404-GE-102 engine maintenance at the depot level within Poland.

The MoU covers all 48 F404-GE-102 engines tied to Poland's 2022 order for 48 KAI FA-50 light combat aircraft, along with spare engines. The first 12 aircraft were delivered in 2023 in the FA-50GF configuration, with the remaining 36 to be delivered in the FA-50PL configuration.

"Establishing engine support within Poland is critically important to ensure readiness and availability for our military customer," said Scott Keating, GE Aerospace's Defense & Systems Executive Regional General Manager for Europe.

Jakub Gazda, CEO of WZL-2, said the partnership provides an opportunity to develop domestic expertise in servicing F404-GE-102 engines, adding that the goal is to ensure advanced maintenance capabilities for Polish Armed Forces equipment are maintained within the country.

WZL-2 is part of the Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa group and is considered a strategically important enterprise for Poland's national defense. GE Aerospace states it has operated in Poland for more than 30 years, with over 2,300 employees across five locations.

More than 4,000 F404 engines have been delivered globally, accumulating over 13 million engine flight hours, according to the company.