Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Ministry of National Defense, today signed a contract for the supply of the integrated anti-aircraft and missile defense command system IBCS for the second phase of the Wisła program and the Narew program for Poland army.
In addition to Kosiniak-Kamysz, the ceremony was attended on Thursday by, among others, Deputy Head of the Ministry of National Defense Paweł Bejda, US Ambassador to Poland Mark Brzezinski and the Head of the Armament Service, General Artur Kuptel.
“A great day for Poland, the US and NATO
After signing the agreement with the US government, the Deputy Prime Minister said that “it is a great day for Poland, a great day for the US and NATO.”
Thanks to our strong, permanent alliance with the United States, the Polish military is gaining the operational brains for air and missile defense systems. This is a big problem. Just like someone who cannot function without reconnaissance and analytical skills, anti-missile defense cannot function.
– said Kosiniak-Kamysz.
He emphasized that both the Wisła and Narew programs will operate on IBCS, the most modern air defense command system in the world.
Poland will be the second country after the US to have the most modern integrated command system in the world
– he emphasized.
Brzezinski congratulated the Minister of National Defense.
I am very happy that together we are taking another important step toward strengthening the unique Polish-American friendship
– said the American ambassador.
I want to emphasize very clearly: the United States will always support Poland and NATO
– stated Brzezinski.
He added that US President Joe Biden Art. 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty “a sacred obligation, a sacred promise to defend every inch of NATO territory.”
““Opening certain opportunities for Polish factories”
The deputy head of the Ministry of National Defense, Paweł Bejda, emphasized that the Polish side, in addition to contracts for the supply of American systems, had signed compensation contracts that allowed the production of many elements of American systems in Poland.
At the same time, this agreement worth $2.5 billion will provide certain opportunities for Polish arms factories
– he said, estimating that under the entire Vistula program, about PLN 10 billion will go to Polish industry.
It is also a huge cash injection for the Polish economy.
The purpose of the contract signed on Thursday is to equip the Polish army – in particular anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense units – with IBCS, i.e. an anti-aircraft command system that allows, among other things: integration and coordination of the operation of medium-range anti-aircraft systems (in Poland the Wisła system based on Patriot batteries) and at short range (Narew system, based on British CAMM missiles, among others). Thanks to the introduction of the IBCS system, Wisła and Narew will be combined into one multi-layer air defense system.
The agreement provides, among other things, for the supply of: command and communications equipment necessary for 6 Patriot system batteries and 23 Narew program sets purchased as part of the second phase of the Wisła program. Previously, the IBCS system had already been purchased by Poland for the needs of the first phase of the Vistula program – 2 Patriot system batteries were then purchased.
The Armament Agency said in a statement that the agreement was between the Department of Defense and the United States government.
The net value of the order is approximately $2.53 billion. The contract will be executed in the period 2024-2031
– reports AU.
Why the difference in price?
General Michał Marciniak, plenipotentiary of the Ministry of National Defense for the construction of the Polish Integrated Anti-Aircraft and Missile Defense System, pointed out in a conversation with journalists that the contract amount is clearly lower than the maximum amount declared in September last year. by the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), worth $4 billion. As he noted, apart from the successful negotiations, the price difference is due to the fact that only the most important elements that cannot be supplied by the Polish industry have been ordered.
We don’t have to buy a whole container of computers, we just have to buy the computers. This obviously results in lower costs
– he said.
He added that expenses related to, for example, the production of containers in which IBCS system devices will be installed will be sent to the Polish industry.
When asked about the working principle of the IBCS system, General Marciniak explained that the operation of the air defense system comes down to four phases: detecting the target, identifying it, selecting the appropriate equipment to neutralize the threat and finally firing the selected anti-attacks. -rocket ship.
As he said, radars have already been contracted to detect incoming targets, effectors, that is, launchers with missiles, are also being purchased, and the IBCS system is “the element that will connect everything.”
Depending on the threat, it will propose an optimal solution in terms of costs, effort required and the nature of the protected facility.
– he pointed.
The general added that IBCS will also be integrated with the communication systems of F-35 fighters, of which Poland ordered 32 in 2020. He added that the order for the IBCS system ends the list of foreign contracts needed to implement the second phase of the Wisła program. Among the most important contracts with the Americans, he mentioned the contracts for the supply of LTDAMS radars, the IBCS system and Patriot launchers and their missiles.
This concludes the foreign part of the Wisła programme. At the same time, we will start a procedure for the Polish part
– he announced, noting that, among other things, o the production of command cabins for soldiers managing anti-aircraft defenses, as well as chassis for launchers and various types of radars and radar systems.
The Vistula and Narew programs are key elements for building an anti-aircraft and missile defense system in Poland. The entire system will ultimately be based on three layers – the highest of which are the Wisła medium-range systems, i.e. Patriot batteries with a range of up to about 150 km. The second layer is the program for the purchase of Narew short-range systems, effective at distances up to approximately 25 km. The bottom layer is the Pilica and better armed Pilica+ systems, designed to shoot down enemy missiles, drones or aircraft at a distance of several kilometers.
yes/DAD
Source: wPolityce