PZL W-3 Sokol
ICAO W3Poland's home-built medium helicopter, used for transport and rescue. Live W-3 Sokol positions.
Flying right now
Live · 30s
No PZL W-3 Sokol is transmitting ADS-B at the moment.
Military aircraft are not obliged to broadcast, so this happens regularly. The count refreshes every thirty seconds.
Airframe
- Manufacturer
- PZL-Świdnik
- Role
- Medium utility helicopter
- Class
- H2T — Helicopter, 2 turboshaft engines
- Crew
- 2
- First flight
- 16 November 1979
- In service
- 1985
Operators airborne
Nothing of this type is up right now.
About the PZL W-3 Sokol
The Sokol — Falcon — was the first helicopter designed and built entirely in Poland, and it remains the country's standard medium utility rotorcraft. PZL-Świdnik, now part of Leonardo, has built around 150.
Poland uses it for transport, search and rescue and medical evacuation across all three services, and a naval version operates from ships. The Czech Republic, Germany and Myanmar have also flown it.
It appears here almost exclusively as a Polish aircraft, and its presence on the feed is a useful reminder that not every European helicopter is American or French.
Callsign prefixes
- PLF
- Polish Air Force
- RESCUE
- Polish search and rescue tasking
How to recognise it
- —A four-blade main rotor on a medium airframe with fixed wheels rather than skids.
- —A slim, slightly upswept tailboom with a three-blade tail rotor.
- —Distinctly Eastern European in line — boxier than a Dauphin, smaller than a Mi-8.
Common questions
+ Who makes the W-3 Sokol?
PZL-Świdnik in Poland, now part of Leonardo. It was the first helicopter designed and manufactured entirely in Poland.
+ What does Sokol mean?
Falcon, in Polish. Polish military aircraft names frequently follow this pattern.
+ Who operates the W-3?
Poland is by far the largest user, across its air force, army and navy. The Czech Republic, Germany, Myanmar and Nigeria have also operated it.