Their names will probably be a mere footnote in the annals of Polish air force history, but they're fully aware of the key roles they played in assisting their NATO counterparts to take a giant leap forward.

"It's great to be a part of history. It's a historic event in their air force," said Maj. Fausto Padilla, a senior aircraft maintenance officer from the 162nd Fighter Wing in Tucson, Ariz. "In some areas, it's like a quantum leap for these guys, not just with the aircraft but the whole system of aviation."

Padilla was speaking as a member of the Air Force site survey team that visited Poland in July to help pave the way for the 48 F-16 Fighting Falcons it purchased from the U.S. government for $3.5 billion. As part of the multifaceted transaction, the U.S. government agreed to assist Poland with logistical and training requirements.

The team, composed of 35 airmen and civilians, visited two Polish air bases to help establish the vast support structure needed to transition from the MiG-21 Soviet-era jet fighter to the world's most modern version of the F-16, complete with all the bells and whistles.

Getting down to business

The team spent less than one week at each of the two bases scheduled to receive the Fighting Falcon. It was an ambitious task that fell upon the shoulders of Lt. Col. Steve Jarvis, who temporarily swapped his job as the Poland country director at the Pentagon to site survey team chief.

"At first I stopped and asked, 'OK, how are we going to do this?'" Jarvis said while moving from one group of team members to another. "We don't fully understand their concept yet," he said at the beginning of day two during their first stop at the 31st Air Base near the city of Poznan.

The plan was simple and effective. "We ask a lot of questions, such as how they do business and how they plan to do business," said Jarvis, an F-15E Strike Eagle pilot by trade. It was obvious to airmen of both nations the aircraft upgrade would be more than just a new way of doing business.

"They're going to take a huge leap in technology, processes and infrastructure," said Vic Olson, the F-16 logistics manager for the F-16 program office at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. He and fellow team members helped the Polish air force prepare for a soft landing when the first of the F-16s are scheduled to arrive in 2006.