Poland to Churn Out Launchers For US Patriots as Ukraine Proxy War Drains Stocks
© AP Photo / Czarek Sokolowski
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Commitments to deliver US Patriot surface-to-air missile defense systems to stoke up NATO’s proxy conflict in Ukraine have been draining Western countries’ stocks. The US has been increasingly looking to outsource production of the systems, with a joint US-Japan project hitting a stumbling block in July.
Poland will be churning out components for US-made Patriot air defense batteries, which are in hot demand amid NATO’s proxy war in Ukraine. Supporting the Kiev regime has hollowed out stocks, and Poland – a staunch ally of Ukraine – has now signed a contract to domestically build 48 launchers for the American air and missile defense systems.
Under a deal worth $1.23 billion (4.7 billion zloty), the M903 launch stations will be produced at Stalowa Wola steelworks in Poland in cooperation with US defense giant Raytheon Technologies Corp.
Components of Patriot systems will be produced in Poland as part of equipping Polish troops under the Wisla air defense program aimed at bolstering the country's air and missile defense capabilities. The air defense system's production will run through 2027-2029.
Screenshot of X post by US Embassy in Warsaw, Poland.
© Photo : USEmbassyWarsaw
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Poland eagerly stepped up to the plate after an earlier US attempt to outsource Patriot production to Japan hit a snag. Tokyo’s production of PAC-3 Patriot missiles was impeded by a shortage of Boeing-made seeker components.
As for Poland, the current deal ties in with its touted military spending spree, despite running up a budget deficit that placed it on the European Commission's watch list. The country is determined to double NATO’s target of two percent of annual GDP on defense and spend over four percent this year.
Poland has signed up to acquire hundreds of American AIM-120C AMRAAM air-to-air missiles for its Air Force's fighter jets. There’s another $9 billion deal in the works, according to Polish media, to purchase 96 US-made AH-64E Apache attack helicopters.
The hefty deals feed into a trend that has seen US arms exports soar dramatically since 2022, as Washington persists in fueling global conflicts. Currently, Foreign Military Sales (FMS) are above $80 billion for FY2024, as per the Defense Security Cooperation Agency. They are on course to top $100 billion by the year's end, according to the Pentagon.
