Poland buys US Patriot anti-missile system for $4.8 billion
Poland signed on Wednesday a $4.75 billion (€3.8 billion) contract to purchase a US-made Patriot anti-missile system, a move that is likely to irk Russia as East-West tensions rise.
'We are signing today a contract to deliver a modern system that has proven itself in numerous countries and thanks to which we are joining an elite group of states which have an efficient weapon that guarantees security,' said Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak.
The first deliveries are expected in 2022.
The Patriot is a mobile air-defence system made by US defence firm Raytheon and designed to intercept tactical ballistic missiles, low-flying cruise missiles and aircraft.
Moscow was reported to have deployed nuclear-capable Iskander missiles for exercises in its Kaliningrad exclave in 2016, rattling nearby NATO members.
Tensions with Moscow have been high since the Ukraine crisis and Kremlin's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the current diplomatic spat over the nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy in Britain has done nothing to calm matters.
Russia has complained about the prospect of the deployment of Patriot anti-missile systems in Poland and Romania, which it says violates a 1987 arms treaty.
More from Land Warfare
-
Hundreds of Boxers with Puma turrets ordered for Dutch and German forces
The order is for 270 vehicles, 222 of which are infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) known as Schakal (Jackal), which integrates the advanced Puma IFV RCT30 turret onto the Boxer chassis.
-
AUSA 2025: BAE Systems delivers more than 500 AMPVs to the US Army
The US Army requires 2,907 Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicles to replace its M113 family, and there are multiple versions in production.
-
AUSA 2025: AM General Hawkeye awaits first production contract
AM General presented its new Hawkeye at AUSA 2025 in Washington, with prototypes of the howitzer system having been trialled in Ukraine last year.
-
AUSA 2025: Lionstrike lays out plans for British Army vehicle bid as competitors get ready
In September 2025, BAE Systems announced that it was joining GM Defense and NP Aerospace to form Team Lionstrike. The team will be offering a version of GM Defense’s infantry support vehicle which is based on the commercial Colorado vehicle.
-
AUSA 2025: KNDS France to bid for US Army requirement
The CAESAR Mk II, which was debuted internationally at Eurosatory last year, is a step up from the first model which has seen combat in Ukraine and the Middle East.