The United Kingdom and Poland have signed a major £1.9 billion export agreement to roll out a British air defence system across the European nation.
In a statement released by the British Government on Friday, the landmark deal which is between UK firm MBDA and the Polish Government was completed this morning,
According to the statement, this deal will provide Poland with cutting-edge, ground-based-air-defence capabilities that will protect the country for generations to come.
As the export win will also support hundreds of jobs across the United Kingdom, delivering on the Prime Minister’s priority to grow the economy, and deepening ties with its key European ally.
Stated that the deal is one of the largest bilateral European air defence deals of its kind in North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and is the culmination of months of close collaboration between the UK and Poland.
Adding that the deal will see the UK equip 22 Polish air defence batteries with UK Common Anti-Air Modular Missiles (CAMMs) and launchers, under a programme called PILICA+.
Reacting to this development, the UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak said, “We have played a crucial role in boosting Euro-Atlantic defences since Putin’s barbaric invasion of Ukraine.
“And this landmark agreement between the UK and Poland is another example of how, alongside our allies, we are committed to protecting our security for generations to come”.
He added that as well as bolstering European air defences, the £1.9bn deal will also support highly skilled jobs in both countries, delivering on his pledge to grow the economy, and creating better paid jobs and opportunity right across the UK”.
It was stated further that the sophisticated missiles can be deployed to protect high value, mobile assets such as deployed military forces or critical national infrastructure.
MBDA’s British-designed CAMM is the latest generation air defence system in service with both British Army and Royal Navy. It is already deployed to Poland with British Army to protect its airspace following Putin’s barbaric invasion of Ukraine.
The system can engage advanced air and missile targets up to 25km away and is capable of hitting a tennis ball-sized object travelling beyond the speed of sound.
The missile deal, which will support more than 500 jobs at MBDA UK, is the latest in a string of defence deals with Poland, including an agreement to collaborate on the procurement
And operation of three Arrowhead- 140 frigates, a variant of the UK warship, and an agreement to work closely on Air Defence Complex Weapons last year, including an order for the urgent delivery of an initial set of CAMM systems.