Rafael eyes Polish short-range air defense tender

KIELCE, Poland — Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems hopes it will secure a deal to supply the SkyCeptor interceptors under Poland’s much-awaited, short-range Narew air defense tender.

At the MSPO defense industry show in Kielce, Rafael’s representatives said the company was determined to further develop its longstanding cooperation with the Polish industry as part of this program. Since 2004, local state-owned Mesko plant has produced the Spike LR anti-tank guided missile under a license acquired from Rafael.

Poland has selected Raytheon’s Patriot missiles to provide the country’s medium-range air defense capacities, and the Israeli producer claims its system will be highly compatible with the U.S. missiles owing to the companies’ cooperation.

“Our technology is combat-proven and modular, and Poland would be able to perfectly integrate it with other layers of its air defense system. This technology is state-of-the-art, and we would also ensure it is transferred to the Polish defense industry, just like we did with the Spike contract,” Roland Steinbrecher, the regional director for international marketing and business development at Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, told Defense News.

Under the medium-range Wisla program, the Polish Ministry of Defence awarded a $4.75 billion deal to Raytheon in 2018. The Narew program is expected to be worth a further $5.3 billion.

More In Europe

How L3Harris is shoring up its small satellite supply chain

The president of L3Harris’ space systems sector, recently sat down with C4ISRNET to discuss the challenges of developing a diverse yet mature supply base.

From customer to sanctioned ‘proliferator,’ drones extend Iran’s reach

Iranian contractors and government officials have picked up on market demand, frequenting arms expos and other events in Russia, Iraq, Qatar and more.

How the Space Force is making its systems more resilient

A little-known board has been working over the last year to identify resiliency measures and ensure the systems the Space Force buys meet those standards.

Lack of standards slows allied tech-sharing, Space Force official says

While the issue is often raised by commercial firms, the official told the Defense Innovation Board it is also a challenge for international allies.

Ellis to succeed Rey as director of Army Network Cross-Functional Team

Brig. Gen. Patrick Ellis is expected to take over this summer.