From Gabriela Baczynska, Reuters:  Europe’s biggest defence contractor BAE Systems (BAES.L) has pulled out of the race for a 1.45 billion zloty ($530.5 million) contract to supply Poland with 16 training-combat aircraft, the company said on Tuesday.

Officials said Korean Aerospace Industries’ (KAI) T-50, the only supersonic aircraft in the tender, met all Warsaw’s technical requirements, with Italian Alenia Aermacchi’s (SIFI.MI) M-346 Master its only potential rival.

 The deadline for final offers is July 29.

 "This is our final decision," Steve Mead, BAE Systems’ Vice-President for Central and Eastern Europe, told Reuters.

"We have offered a trainer with combat capabilities, while Poland’s defence ministry in the end went for combat first, and training second," he added. . . .

Britain’s BAE Systems was competing against companies from Italy, Finland, the Czech Republic and South Korea in the initial stage of the tender.  (photo: Adrian Pingstone)

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