Poland’s New Government To Accelerate $2.5B Air Defense System Tender

WARSAW — Poland's new government, formed by the Law and Justice (PiS) party earlier this month, plans to accelerate the tender to acquire nine batteries of missiles, which are to provide for Poland's short-range air defense system, reports local daily Rzeczpospolita.

The 10 billion zloty (US$2.5 billion) procurement, dubbed the Narew program, is to be accelerated, allowing the Polish Defence Ministry to launch the tender in 2016, according to sources from the ministry. In 2022, the short-range air defense system comprising missiles with a strike range of up to 25 kilometers is expected to become operational.

Speaking at the country's parliament Nov. 25, Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz said his ministry is re-evaluating the program to acquire a new middle-range air defense system under the Wisla program. Last April, the government of then-Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz announced that Warsaw decided to select the US Patriot system over the Aster 30, offered by a European consortium of MBDA and Thales.

However, speaking at the parliament's Defense Committee hearing, Macierewicz said that the terms of the contract negotiated by the previous government "did not ensure defensive capacities before the years 2023 to 2030," and, as such "it did not comply with the indispensable terms of our country's defensive capacities."

Last year, nine potential bidders were qualified by the ministry to participate in the Narew tender. These included MBDA, Israel Aerospace Industries, MEADS, Thales, Rafael, Aselsan, Kongsberg, Diehl BGT Defense and Poland's PGZ.

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