On Friday, Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak approved almost PLN 1 billion (EUR 220 million, USD 240 million) worth of offset agreements with US companies for medium-range anti-aircraft and anti-missile defence systems, state news agency PAP reported.
The Polish defence ministry said Błaszczak “approved offset contracts for components for anti-aircraft and anti-missile medium-range missile sets in the second phase of the Wisła programme” in the latest step in efforts to bolster Poland's defences in the wake of Russia's invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.
The Polish government said it was working to strengthen the country’s armed forces by increasing troop numbers and modernising equipment in response to “threats posed by aggressive Russian policy.”
“We are very pleased that cooperation with the United States is proceeding so smoothly, that we are able to modernise the equipment of the Polish Armed Forces,” Błaszczak said at the signing in Warsaw on Friday, as quoted by his ministry.
Under offset agreements with US companies Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, with a total value of around PLN 1 billion, "service, repair and production facilities will be established in Poland to support the Wisła system, consisting of elements such as the LTAMDS radar and PAC-3 MSE missiles,” according to the Polish defence ministry.
“Experience from the war in Ukraine shows that air and missile defence is very important,” Błaszczak said on Friday.
He added that the offset agreements “precede the next phase of ... cooperation with regard to acquiring further batteries of the Patriot system for ... the Polish Armed Forces.”
The Polish defence ministry said that “an important part of the signed agreements is the inclusion of Polish companies as certified suppliers to US entities.”
It added: “This is not only an opportunity to make a technological leap in the production process, but also to create new solutions in missile technologies together with US partners.”
Błaszczak said “the Polish arms industry will co-produce certain components for supermodern omnidirectional radars,” which will be supplied together with the Patriot system.
He told those at the signing that “the Polish defence industry will be able to develop missile technology” and that “another of the offset commitments concerns the possibility of producing fuel for HIMARS missiles.”
He noted that the government was negotiating an agreement “on equipping the Polish military with HIMARS missiles, which perform fantastically on the battlefield in the hands of the brave Ukrainians.”
A further offset commitment concerns “the possibility of servicing, operational support when it comes to F-16 and C-130 aircraft,” according to Błaszczak.
“All this is extremely important for Poland's security,” he said, adding that the government aimed to “seize opportunities to invest in the Polish arms industry whenever they occur.”
“In the case of our cooperation with Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, we have the opportunities to invest in the Polish arms industry, we have the opportunities to include the Polish arms industry in the supply chain of these companies,” he told the gathering.
“And we take advantage of these opportunities, thus investing in the security of our homeland,” he added, as quoted by the Polish defence ministry.
The ministry said that “the signing of the agreements is a continuation of the process initiated in the first phase of the Wisła programme.”
It explained that Błaszczak in March 2018 "signed a contract for the delivery of two batteries of anti-aircraft and anti-missile Patriot systems as part of Phase I of the Wisła project."
“Offset negotiations are still ongoing with another arms industry leader, Northrop Grumann,” the Polish defence ministry revealed, saying that the talks were expected to “result in a significant technology transfer.”
The US Department of State earlier this month approved the sale of 96 Apache helicopters and related equipment to Poland for an estimated cost of USD 12 billion, according to an announcement by the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency.
The US Congress earlier this year cleared the sale of 800 Hellfire missiles to Poland.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.
Monday is day 551 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
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Source: IAR, PAP, gov.pl