In September 2023, Poland signed contracts with European and American companies to strengthen the country’s air defense. The country plans to spend 137 billion zloty (US$32.9 billion) in 2024, equivalent to 4% of GDP.
Poland is paying for all the new equipment through an extra increase in defense spending, Polish President Andrzej Duda said during the contract signing on the first day of the MSPO International Defence Industry Exhibition in Kielce, Poland, on September 5, 2023.
Poland plans to buy eight Patriot batteries and 22 Narew batteries equipped with CAMM-ER missiles.
The country has also signed a deal for the Pilica+ point defense system with both standard CAMM missiles and Polish-produced solutions.
In addition to buying existing systems, Poland is working with the UK to develop an even longer-range missile called CAMM-MR.
Poland has already received two Patriot batteries in phase 1 of the Wisla program. A contract worth $4.57 billion.
Deliveries of elements for the next phase of the Wisla program are scheduled to begin in 2026 and be completed in 2029, and include, among other things, six additional Patriot batteries.
The latest Patriot order includes the delivery of 12 360-degree Lower-Tier Air and Missile Defense radars, making Poland the first export customer, as well as 48 additional launchers and PAC-3 missiles.
Poland has wanted a 360-degree radar for Patriot, as the country faces potential missile threats from Russia’s Kaliningrad Oblast on its northern border as well as Belarus and Russia directly to the east. The second phase of Wisla still requires Polish industry involvement in the Patriot program, including the production and delivery of M903 launchers and components for the PAC-3 missiles.
Poland has also ordered more than 1,000 MBDA Common Anti-Air Modular Missiles—Extended Range (CAMM-ER) and associated launchers as part of the Narew program for medium-range air defense.
CAMM-ER missiles are key components of the Narew system. Poland already has a variant of Narew in service, called Mala-Narew, which uses CAMM missiles.
The same weapon has also been adopted for the Pilica+ short-range requirement, for which contracts were signed in April. Mala-Narew was developed rapidly for the Polish military in response to an urgent air defense need. But the final Narew system will combine CAMM-ERs with the locally developed Pit-Radwar Sajna radar system. CAMM-ER has an extended and enlarged airframe and can engage targets up to 40 km (25 mi).
In addition to the missiles, Poland expects technology transfer for domestic production of the missiles and their launchers, as well as training and logistics packages.
Deliveries of Narew system elements will take place from 2027-2035.
Missile manufacturer MBDA says in a social media statement that they welcome the signing and look forward to working with the Polish defense group PGZ on the project.
Both Narew and Wisla replace outdated Soviet-era systems.
“This actually enables a very dynamic modernization of the Polish army in many sectors at the same time,” Duda said. “This process is happening and being implemented… it seemed chaotic at first, but today we are seeing the first effects.”
