Poland requests more air-defence and artillery systems from US

Polish Minister of National Defence Mariusz Błaszczak has signed LoRs for 486 more M142 HIMARS (pictured) launchers and six more Patriot batteries. (US Army/Markus Rauchenberger)

Polish Minister of National Defence Mariusz Błaszczak has announced plans to boost Poland's medium-range air defence (MRAD) and long-range rocket artillery capabilities.

Błaszczak signed a letter of request (LoR) on 24 May for the acquisition of six more Patriot MRAD batteries under the second phase of the Wisła programme. The Polish Ministry of National Defence (MND) expects to sign the relevant Foreign Military Sales (FMS) agreements by 2023, to be followed by the offset agreement and technology transfer to the Polish armaments industry.

Polish Armaments Agency (AA) spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Krzysztof Płatek told Janes on 26 May that Poland would receive 360° Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars, M903 launchers, and Patriot Advanced Capability – 3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) effectors, plus training and logistics packages. The first two batteries will be delivered in 2026 and the last batch should reach Poland by the end of 2028, according to the AA. Similar to the previous phase, the system will be integrated into Polish-made Jelcz trucks and connected with P-18PL radars and PET/PCL passive sensors from Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ) subsidiary PIT-Radwar.

Błaszczak signed a second LoR on 26 May requesting 486 more M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers under the Homar programme to add 80 more HOMAR batteries to the Polish artillery corps. The contracting process should be accomplished in late 2023 or early 2024. The Polish MND expects the first deliveries in 2025, according to a 25 May AA press release.

Janes