Impressive imagery showing military aircraft punching out flares is, by now, fairly familiar, but no less worth looking at. Much rarer, however, is to see a civilian airliner design doing the same thing. In this case, the Boeing 737 jetliner is in Polish Air Force service, but the captures are certainly highly unusual and bring attention to a lesser-known aspect of this aircraft, and other governmental and privately owned jets that are similarly outfitted with self-protection systems.
The photos in this story were shared with TWZ by Bartek Bera, whose work we have profiled before. Bartek photographed the 737 on August 28, when it was on its way to the rehearsal for the Radom Air Show, in east-central Poland. The aircraft is a 737-800 Boeing Business Jet 2 (BBJ2), with the tactical number 0112 and the name Ignacy Jan Paderewski, which was delivered to the Polish Air Force in 2021.
After joining a formation with the photo ship, the 737 began pumping out infrared decoys, part of its relatively extensive self-protection suite. It’s worth noting that flares are by no means an uncommon feature of Polish military air displays. In the past, we have looked at the use of photo-flash flares by the now-retired Polish Air Force Su-22 Fitter swing-wing ground-attack aircraft, and C-130 transports have also previously lit up Radom with pyrotechnic displays.
A Polish Air Force Su-22 Fitter drops photo-flash flares during the Radom Airshow in 2023:
While we asked the Polish Air Force for more details about the decoys, they were not willing to provide any information. However, based on open sources, the Polish Air Force 737s were outfitted with countermeasures dispensers prior to delivery.
As we’ve explored in the past, infrared countermeasures encompass a range of different flares with varying degrees of capability and complexity that cover different spectral regimes. At their most simple, these kinds of flares provide a heat source, which can be enough to defeat the infrared seeker head of a simpler missile. To defeat a more advanced threat, a countermeasure needs to be more closely paired to the host aircraft’s signature.
The self-protection equipment of at least one of the Polish Air Force 737s also includes a directed infrared countermeasures (DIRCM) system, in a canoe-shaped DIRCM fairing below the rear fuselage, while other examples of the aircraft display the mounting area for the same canoe. Reportedly, the DIRCM is the Israeli-made Elbit Systems J-MUSIC. This provides an additional degree of protection, using a turreted laser to blind and confuse the seeker on infrared-homing missiles.
Self-protection is enabled by the 737’s missile approach warning system (MAWS), sensors for which can be seen located around the fuselage in the photos here. The system senses the signature of the incoming missile and can facilitate automatic, semi-automatic, or a manual responsive course of action on how to defend against it, be it by flares or the DIRCM laser system, if equipped.
Overall, Polish Air Force 737s are notably well-equipped. These aircraft are also provided with a secure datalink, SATCOM, and UHF/VHF/HF radios for communications. Military-standard avionics include a TACAN navigation system, Mod 5 identification friend or foe (IFF), and GPS receivers with selective availability anti-spoofing modules (SAASM). The flight deck is fitted with head-up displays (HUD) and an enhanced flight vision system (EFVS), which provides the pilots with an improved view outside the cockpit. The 737s are equipped with specialized medical equipment for medical evacuation missions.
As for the Polish Air Force’s 737s, three of which are operated, their story is part of the service’s efforts to replace its fleet of Soviet-era aircraft with new Western equipment.
Previously, the Polish Air Force VIP fleet included a pair of Tupolev Tu-154M Careless trijets for transporting heads of state, as well as more than a dozen Yakovlev Yak-40 Codling regional jets for short-haul VIP work.
The retirement of both those Soviet-made types was expedited following the loss of a Tu-154M during a landing accident in 2010. This disaster, the causes of which remain controversial, resulted in the deaths of all 96 persons on board, including Polish President Lech Kaczynski. The remaining Tu-154M was retired in 2011, and the last Yak-40 was withdrawn in 2012.
The long-term successors for these aircraft are the Gulfstream G550 and the 737. Both types serve with the 1st Air Base Air Transport Squadron at in Warsaw. Ordered in 2017, the three Boeings comprise a single 737-800 built but never delivered to a Chinese regional airline, and a pair of new 737-800 BBJ2s, including the example seen here. The 737s are mainly used for transporting heads of state and high-ranking officials, hence their robust self-protection capabilities and overall high standard of equipment.
For their VIP role, the Polish Air Force 737s were outfitted with a special cabin, provided by Sabena Technics in Toulouse, France. This includes a cabin with seats for four passengers, two seats in a separate VIP compartment, 12 seats in business class, and 48 seats in economy class. There is also a rest compartment for the flight crew.
Bartek’s dramatic imagery underscores the fact that VIP transports are also sprouting increasingly robust self-protection systems, including the kinds of flare dispensers that otherwise remain much better associated with frontline combat aircraft and tactical transport types.
You can check out more of Bartek’s photography here.
Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com