Poland Deploys Patriot Air Defence System to Warsaw
Last week Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak would announce the deployment of a Patriot air defense system to Warsaw. The Minister called the event “Historic and groundbreaking”. Specifically, the system will be placed within the Warsaw-Babice airport.
Ever since the start of the war in Ukraine Poland has been beefing up its defenses. In November 2022 a stray missile, later identified to be Ukrainian, struck the village of Przewodów in Eastern Poland. Furthermore back in May, earlier this year Polish authorities identified a Russian KH-55 missile in a forest, hundreds of kilometers from the Polish-Ukraine Border.
Incidents like this prompted Poland to purchase an integrated air missile defense system. The US State Department back in June approving a sale valued at $15 Billion USD. The sale includes RTX-made Patriot-3+, Lockheed Martin-manufactured Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement missiles, and Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensors (LTAMDS). This purchase has been identified by the Polish Government as phase II of their WISłA programme, Poland’s air and missile defense modernization program. Originally kickstarted in 2018, when Poland purchased Patriot systems operating with Northrop Grumman’s ICBS. This deal was valued at $4.75 Billion USD.
Currently, Poland aims to field three divisions or rather six batteries of Patriot Systems. The systems purchased in June will include LTAMDS which is still in its prototype phase. Previously RTX has had delays with deliveries due to this, mainly during the Pandemic. Nevertheless, the delivery of four operational systems is to be expected by the end of 2023, with an operational assessment of the sensor to be carried out in the later fiscal of 2024.