Raytheon offers SkyCeptor, Polish industry cooperation for air defense deal

KIELCE, Poland — Raytheon Technologies says it is gearing to deliver the first two Patriot Configuration 3+ batteries to Poland in 2022. As Poland’s Wisla mid-range air defense program is advancing, the company hopes to benefit from its industrial cooperation with nine Polish partners to pursue the program’s second phase, and is offering SkyCeptor missiles to Warsaw, according to senior company representatives.

Shawn Rantas, the director of the Poland Patriot program at Raytheon, said that last month brought the signing of an offset execution agreement with the country’s state-run defense giant PGZ. Rantas made her remarks during the first day of the MSPO defense industry show in Kielce, Poland.

“Today, we have nine Polish companies that are under contract and providing products and services under Phase 1 of the Wisla program,” Rantas said, adding that her company was in talks with Warsaw to extend the Wisla program. Raytheon is offering SkyCeptor missiles together with significant Polish industry involvement in the program’s second phase, she said.

“Wisla’s Phase 2 is the next logical step to continue the modernization that Poland started,” according to Rantas. “SkyCeptor is a more affordable interceptor, and it can have a tremendous amount of Polish industry cooperation.”

The SkyCeptor missile was jointly developed by Raytheon Technologies and its Israeli partner Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. It is part of Israel’s David’s Sling missile defense system.

Meanwhile, Raytheon Technologies and Norway’s Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace are also competing, alongside European defense giant MBDA, Israel Aerospace Industries and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, for Poland’s Narew short-range air defense program. With the planned contract in mind, the Polish Ministry of Defence and the country’s state-run defense giant PGZ today signed a deal in Kielce. The group will serve as the system’s integrator, cooperating with a foreign partner that is to be selected.

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