Poland signs deal for 48 air-defence launchers for Patriot

The Eastern European country has accelerated the modernisation of its armed forces after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in 2022.

Under the signed deal, the M903 launchers will be manufactured at the Stalowa Wola steel plant in Poland and are expected to be delivered to the Polish army between 2027 and 2029.

"This contract strengthens Polish security," Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosinyak-Kamis said after signing the deal worth $1.23 billion.

Poland, which is a staunch ally of Ukraine, has announced it will spend more than 4 percent of its annual economic output on defense this year - twice NATO's target of 2 percent.

On August 9, Poland struck a deal with the United States to buy hundreds of AIM-120C AMRAAM air-to-air missiles.

According to Polish media, in the coming days Warsaw and Washington will sign another defense agreement for the purchase of 96 U.S.-made AH-64E Apache attack helicopters worth more than $9 billion.

Last year, Washington gave the green light to the deal, which will allow Poland to replace its aging fleet of Soviet-era Mi-24 helicopters. | BGNES