Military expansion goes hand-in-hand with greater defence procurement, so [Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław] Kaczynski referred to a ‘need to purchase new armaments and equipment. We will do it in the US but also with the European and Polish defence industries.’
Ongoing acquisition programmes…include the HIMARS multiple-launch rocket system, the F-35A Lightning II multirole combat aircraft and Abrams SEPv3 main battle tank – although he said procurement of long-range artillery systems is also a priority.
One eye-catching component of the Homeland Defence Act is a proposal to more than double the size of the Polish Land Forces from about 110,000 today to at least 250,000 regular troops plus 50,000 in the Territorial Defence Forces (compared with 30,000 today).
The first two of 16 planned M903 missile launchers for Poland’s US-purchased Patriot air defence installation have been completed at the HSW steelworks in southern Poland, Polish Armaments Group (PGZ), the HSW owner, announced on Monday.
The launchers, made in Poland under a 2018 inter-governmental agreement with the US, will form part of Poland’s Patriot-based Wisła air defence system.
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PGZ CEO Sebastian Chwałek said military cooperation with the US under the Patriot contract will help upgrade Poland’s missile defence capacity.