Poland has requested six additional Patriot missile air defense system batteries “with related gear” from the United States.
The request is part of the country’s mid-range air defense program, announced last month as a direct response to Russia’s invasion of Poland’s neighbor, Ukraine.
“We are advancing the contract on the second phase of the Wisła air defense program,” Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak said during the announcement, as reported by Defense News.
“I have signed a letter of request related to an acquisition of three divisions, or six batteries of the Patriot system, which will include omnidirectional radars, missile launchers, and a stock of missiles.”
Błaszczak made the remarks at the Defence24 Day conference in Warsaw.
According to industry sources at the event cited by Defense News, the “omnidirectional radars” are likely Raytheon’s Lower-Tier Air-and-Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS), nicknamed GhostEye.
📰 #NEWS: #Poland submits a Letter of Request to the U.S. Government for #LTAMDS. Learn more about this next-generation 360-degree radar designed to defeat advanced air and missiles threats: https://t.co/MNwRORe4Vp #missiledefense pic.twitter.com/i4XLm8sRed
— Raytheon Missiles & Defense (@RaytheonDefense) May 24, 2022
No mention was made about the price of the six requested Patriot batteries. However, Poland’s first contract, in which it will receive two Configuration 3+ batteries this year, cost $4.75 billion.
An acronym for “Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept of Target,” the Patriot missile system was developed by Raytheon and began operational deployment in 1984.
It was popularized during the 1991 Persian Gulf War after shooting down many Iraqi Scud missiles fired at Israel.
It is an air defense system designed to counter tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and advanced aircraft.
Able to operate in all weather conditions, it has a range of 70 kilometers (43 miles), a maximum altitude of 24 kilometers (15 miles), and a flight time of up to three and a half minutes.
The system comes with AN/MPQ-53 phased-array radar for target detection, search, identification, missile tracking, guidance, and electronic counter-countermeasures.
The system is deployed with a long list of militaries, including the US, Greece, Germany, Poland, Israel, Japan, Taiwan, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, and Romania.
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