Poland to buy 6 additional Patriot missile batteries from US

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Poland to buy 6 additional Patriot missile batteries from US

Poland will order six additional batteries of the US Patriot missile system, the defence minister said on Tuesday.

According to the private broadcaster Mariusz Blaszczak, six more Patriot sets will be delivered to Poland as the second stage of the construction of Poland's Patriot-based Wisla air defence system.

He wrote on Tuesday that he signed a letter of request regarding six Patriot batteries with omnidirectional radars, launchers and a supply of missiles. Blaszczak noted that two Patriot system batteries purchased from the US in the first stage of the Wisla system and that the second delivery will not be the final one. In 2015 Poland chose the Patriot system as the basis for the Wisla medium-range air defence programme. In 2018, Poland signed an inter-governmental agreement with the US for the delivery of two batteries 16 launchers worth USD 4.75 billion. The Polish systems are to be armed with Lockheed Martin's PAC 3 missiles and integrated with the new Northrop Grumman Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System IBCS, developed for American ground forces.

Initial operational readiness is expected to be achieved at the turn of 2023/2024, and there are plans for deliveries of Patriot missile batteries for Poland by the end of the year.