Poland signs contract for air-defence command system
Poland's defence minister signed a contract with the US on Thursday for an integrated anti-aircraft and anti-missile command system for the second phase of the mid-range Wisla air-defence system and short-range Narew anti-aircraft programme.
Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz took part in a signing ceremony in the company of US Ambassador Mark Brzezinski on Thursday, to mark an event he described as a great day for Poland, the USA and Nato.
"Thanks to our enduring, constant alliance with the United States, the Polish army is gaining an operational brain for its anti-aircraft and anti-missile defence systems," Kosiniak-Kamysz said at the ceremony. "It's a big deal. Just as a person cannot function without reconnaissance and analytical capabilities, so neither can anti-missile defence function."
The defence minister, who is also a deputy prime minister, said that defending Poland's airspace was a priority for the government.
"We're making every effort for it to happen here and now," he said.
Kosiniak-Kamysz went on to say that both the Wisla and Narew programmes would be operated by the world's most modern command system, making Poland only the second country in the world, after the USA, to have such an integrated command system.
Poland's Armaments Agency said in a press release that the contract was concluded between the Ministry of Defence and the United States government and had a net value of USD 2.53 billion. The deal for the Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) designed by Northrop Grumman will be carried out between 2024 and 2031. (PAP)
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