Preparing for WAR? Poland to sign £6.1 BILLION missile defence deal amid Putin threat
POLAND has moved closer to signing a £6.1billion deal with US firm Raytheon to buy eight Patriot missile defence systems before the year ends, according to the country’s defence minister.
Poland hopes the missiles serve as a deterrent against Russia
Antoni Macierewicz said Poland’s armed forces should be modernised because of “growing aggression and a growing threat from the East”.
Mr Macierewicz said: “Those systems allow us to guarantee the security of the Polish state.”
The Patriot mobile missile defence systems are designed to detect and track unmanned aerial vehicles, cruise missiles and short-range or tactical ballistic missiles.
The Polish Defence Minister said the missiles will guarantee the security of Poland
Those systems allow us to guarantee the security of the Polish state
The Patriots will also have a 360-degree rotating surveillance radars.
Poland spends two per cent of its GDP on defence, which is what Nato demands its members commit yearly.
The first of the eight systems are expected to arrive in Poland two years after the contract is formally signed.
The contract requires approval from the US Congress as it involves purchasing advanced military technology, which requires special permission.
The Prime Minister of Poland, Beata Szydio
Earlier in March, more than 1,000 American, British and Romanian soldiers were sent to Poland “to deter Russian offensive actions”.
Elsa Rassbach, from the German affiliate of War Resisters International, said: “The reason given by Nato and many Western politicians is that they claim Russia has aggressive intentions, they cite the conflict in Ukraine, they cite Crimea, and they say the states such as Poland and the Baltic countries are concerned about Russian aggression.”
UK troops head to Poland as NATO build-up continues
Russia has criticised Nato’s military along its borders, which it claims is a threat to their national security.
Since 2015, Raytheon has intercepted more than 100 tactical ballistic missiles during combat operations.
The US company is the world’s largest producer of guided missiles.