Moments ago, the U.S. State Department announced that a Foreign Military Sales proposal to Poland for about 15B USD was approved. According to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, the proposed agreement would cover:
“Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) Battle Command System (IBCS) and related equipment for an estimated cost of $15 billion…The Government of Poland has requested to buy phase two of a two-phase program for an Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) Battle Command System (IBCS) enabled PATRIOT Configuration-3+ with modernized sensors and components, including: forty-eight (48) PATRIOT M903 Launch Stations; up to six hundred forty-four (644) PATRIOT Advanced Capability (PAC) 3 Missile Segment Enhanced (MSE) missiles; forty-eight (48) Launcher Interface Network Kits (LINKs); twelve (12) Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensors (LTAMDS); and twelve (12) Large Tactical Power Systems (LTPS) for the LTAMDS. Also included is communications equipment; tools and test equipment; support equipment; generators; spare parts; repair parts; Global Positioning System PPS (SAASM) receivers; modification kits; U.S. Government and contractor technical, engineering, and logistics support services for planning, execution, Systems Integration and Checkout (SICO), flight test activities, field office support and training; and other related elements of logistics and program support. The total estimated program cost is $15 billion.”
This deal is being brokered between the government of Poland and the manufacturing contractors such as Raytheon. According to the State Department, this deal is for the production of new systems and would not detract from the current U.S. arsenal.
In 2018, Poland purchased two PATRIOT batteries and more than 200 missiles. This new agreement represents the largest air defense deal between the U.S. and Poland and one of the largest, if not the largest, single deal for PATRIOT missile defense system. This agreement for forty-eight launch units would be enough to fill six full batteries of PATRIOT, greatly expanding Poland’s current arsenal of two.
