The Polish government signed a letter of offer and acceptance with the United States for the first phase of Warsaw’s Wisla program, a two-part procurement of the medium-range, integrated air and missile defense system, according to a statement from U.S. defense contractor Raytheon.
The system includes Northrop Grumman’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS), and Lockheed Martin’s Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement missiles, according to separate company statements.
The deal, which will eventually include eight batteries, is expected to be worth nearly $6 billion.
The new Patriot deal is likely to stoke Russia-NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis....
tensions. Russian President Vladimir Putin
...President-for-Life of Russia. He gets along well with other presidents for life. He is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substance. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to him. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substances...has said Moscow views the missile defense systems in eastern Europe
...also known as Moslem Lebensraum...as a "great danger." Putin has also threatened that Russia will be forced to enhance its own missile strike capability.
The sale has long been in the making, with Poland first intending to buy the Patriot system in 2014. A new Polish president in 2015, however, threw those plans into question as the government wanted a look at other possible systems.