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Poland buys UK air defence system to deter Russia

28.04.2023 23:30
Poland has signed a £1.9 billion (USD 2.37 billion) deal to buy a British-designed air defence system to bolster its security in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, officials said on Friday.
Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak (right) and British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace (left) meet in Warsaw on Thursday, March 17, 2022.
Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak (right) and British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace (left) meet in Warsaw on Thursday, March 17, 2022.Photo: PAP/Paweł Supernak

"The UK and Poland have signed a major £1.9 billion export agreement to roll out a British air defence system across the European nation," the British government said in a statement.

Under the deal, the UK arm of European missile maker MBDA will provide Poland with "cutting-edge, ground-based-air-defence capabilities that will protect the country for generations to come," according to the statement.

"The deal is one of the largest bilateral European air defence deals of its kind in NATO and is the culmination of months of close collaboration between the UK and Poland," the statement said.

It added that the deal "will see the UK equip 22 Polish air defence batteries with UK Common Anti-Air Modular Missiles (CAMMs) and launchers, under a programme called PILICA+."

Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak said in a tweet that the deal was another step in efforts to "increase the capabilities of the Polish air defence system."

Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: "We have played a crucial role in boosting Euro-Atlantic defences since Putin’s barbaric invasion of Ukraine, and this landmark agreement between the UK and Poland is another example of how, alongside our allies, we are committed to protecting our security for generations to come."

He added: "MBDA’s British-designed CAMM is the latest generation air defence system in service with both the British Army and Royal Navy. It is already deployed to Poland with the British Army to protect its airspace following Putin’s barbaric invasion of Ukraine."

The system can engage advanced air and missile targets up to 25 km away and is capable of hitting a tennis ball-sized object travelling beyond the speed of sound, according to Sunak.

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: "I am delighted that the UK and Poland’s deep and historic defence ties take another step forward with the signing of the largest ever UK defence export deal with Poland."

He added: "We are committed to supporting Poland’s defence modernisation plans and this upgraded air-defence programme will ensure that Poland and the UK have the ability to continue safeguarding our people and bolstering NATO security."

The MBDA missile group is owned by France's Airbus and Britain's BAE Systems, each with a 37.5-percent stake, and by Italy's defence and aerospace group Leonardo, with the remaining 25 percent, the Reuters news agency reported.

(gs)

Source: IAR, PAP, Reutersgov.uk