The Polish armed forces are continuing to grow – as Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak announced recently, the government in Warsaw is now investing heavily in new LTAMDS all-round radars in addition to further Patriot missile defence systems.
In response to the Russia’s invasion of Ukraine Poland recently concluded numerous major arms deals:
- Most recently, the US State Department approved the the sale of 96 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters from manufacturer Boeing worth up to eleven billion euros,
- Saab recently received an order from the Polish Ministry of Defense an order for two Saab 340 Airborne Early Warning (AEW) aircraft,
- In June, Poland had ordered modern Patriot air defense systems from the US manufacturer Raytheon for up to 13.7 billion euros. ordered,
- MBDA has been awarded a contract to supply CAMM missiles and iLaunchers for the PILICA+ air defense program,
- Last July, Warsaw concluded a framework agreement with the South Korean company Hyundai Rotem a framework agreement for the purchase of a total of 1,000 (!) K2 Black Panther main battle tanks,
- in the 32 F-35 JSFs will be procured from Lockheed Martin as part of the “Harpia” project. and
- Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) ordered a total of a total of 48 FA-50 light fighter aircraft were ordered.
According to Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak, Poland is now also purchasing six more Patriot system batteries, two more maritime missile units and a Zenit-MP+ automated command post for the Pilica+ sets as part of the second phase of the Wisla program. A framework agreement was also concluded for the FlyEye unmanned aerial vehicle, and Poland will be the first foreign buyer of the new LTAMDS omnidirectional radars for Patriot air defense systems. Warsaw intends to procure a total of twelve of the all-round radars manufactured by Raytheon.
In an initial reaction, Defense Minister Błaszczak expressed his satisfaction: “We are very pleased with the dynamic development of the Polish armed forces. Among the agreements that have now been signed, those on the development of a multi-layered air and missile defense system are particularly important. Great thanks are due to all those who contributed to the realization of these agreements. It has taken a lot of work and effort.” https://militaeraktuell.at/draengt-dassault-airbus-aus-dem-fcas-programm/ Tom Laliberty, President of Land & Air Defense Systems at Raytheon added: “Poland is strengthening its defense against air and missile threats. Poland is the first country after the United States to complement Patriot with LTAMDS, giving the system greater range and full 360-degree coverage. This means that complex, highly coordinated attack scenarios with multiple threats can be detected and countered in good time.”
