- Industry deal worth over £4bn to deliver next generation air
defence system to Poland.
- Partnership to bolster European security in the wake of
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
- Work will enable critical skills and jobs in both countries.
The UK and Poland defence industries have today signed a
milestone deal, worth over £4 billion, to continue the next phase
of Poland’s future air defence programme, Narew.
UK firm MBDA has signed the sub-contract with Polish defence
company PGZ, in a programme that will provide Polish forces with
an enhanced ground-based air defence system capable of launching
missiles to engage air threats, such as cruise missiles and
fighter jets, at ranges of more than 40 kilometres. It will
create more than 1,000 Common Anti-Air Modular Missiles –
Extended Range (CAMM-ER) and over 100 iLaunchers.
Bolstering security and defence development for both NATO
countries, the deal is the largest commercial agreement ever
secured between the UK and Poland.
It is the culmination of years of close collaboration and will
strengthen Poland’s military capabilities, while delivering on
the UK Prime Minister’s priority to grow the economy and
continuing to showcase British industry as a leading global
defence partner.
Bringing significant benefit to both nations’ defence industries,
the partnership will see British engineers from Bolton, Bristol
and Stevenage working with their Polish counterparts, sharing key
technologies and supporting jobs and critical skills in both
countries for more than 15 years.
Defence Secretary, , said:
This is another crucial step forward for our historic defence
ties with Poland, supplying next generation air defence
capabilities to act as a clear deterrent to our adversaries.
We continue to fully back our thriving UK defence industry, and
this landmark export deal is yet another example of the huge
potential our collective defence sectors boast.
In addition to the air defence launchers and missiles, the
partnership will see the UK support Poland to be able to
manufacture complex missiles on Polish soil in years to come,
further increasing regional security through greater supply chain
flexibility.
This contract is a huge step forward in UK-Polish defence
relations, building on the UK-Polish Defence Treaty and the
UK–Poland 2030 strategic partnership, which will be of long-term
benefit to the defence, jobs and skills of both nations.
Managing Director of MBDA UK, Chris Allam said:
The scale and ambition of NAREW is truly impressive – building a
Polish air defence shield using our CAMM family missiles and
iLaunchers that will protect the entirety of Poland’s skies.
The transfer of technology in NAREW will be transformative for
Poland’s sovereign complex weapons capabilities, and we are
deeply proud of the trust placed in us by Poland and excited for
the future of our partnership with PGZ.
Following a contract awarded by the Polish government to PGZ in
September this year, the Narew system will utilise MBDA’s CAMM-ER
missile, developed jointly by the UK and Italy, in addition to
Polish radars, vehicles and other equipment together with the
United States’ Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS).
Earlier this year, the UK and Poland announced the first stage of
a programme to deliver the CAMM to Poland in a £1.9 billion
contract. Flying at supersonic speeds, CAMM missiles can destroy
modern air threats including stealth aircraft and high-speed
missiles.
As historic defence partners and NATO Allies, the UK stands with
Poland to defend NATO’s Eastern Flank and support Ukraine against
Russian aggression.
The UK and Poland are close Allies, with hundreds of British
troops deployed to the country at any one time. That includes the
recent deployments of Challenger 2 tanks and Sky Sabre air
defence systems to Poland.
