Almost 2k missiles ordered in US$3bn Polish spending spree

The US State Department has approved the possible foreign military sale of 232 AIM-9X Sidewinder Block II Tactical Missiles and 16 AIM-9X Sidewinder Block II Tactical Missile Guidance Units to the government of Poland. Other equipment include missile containers, training aids, active optical target detectors, spares and support.

The US Congress was notified of the possible sale by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) on 12 March. The principal contractor will be RTX Corporation and will not require assignment of government or contractor representatives to Poland.

The US State Department has also approved a US$1.69 billion possible foreign military sale of 745 AIM-120C-8 advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles, 16 AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM guidance sections, 50 LAU-129 guided missile launchers, AIM-120 Captive Air Training Missiles, missile containers, spare and repair parts, technical support and other equipment.

The US Congress was notified of the possible sale to Poland by the DSCA on 12 March. The principal contractor will also be RTX Corporation and not require assignment of government or contractor representatives to Poland.

In addition, the US State Department also approved a US$1.77 billion possible foreign military sale of 821 AGM-158B-2 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles with Extended Range (JASSM-ER) All-Up-Rounds to the government of Poland.

The US Congress was notified of the possible sale by the DSCA on 12 March. The principal contractor will be Lockheed Martin and not require assignment of government or contractor representatives to Poland.

“This proposed sale (of JASSM-ER equipment) will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a NATO ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe,” said a statement from the DSCA.

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“The proposed sale will improve Poland’s capability to meet current and future threats by providing advanced, long-range strike systems for employment from Polish Air Force air platforms.

“This sale will further advance the already high level of Polish Air Force interoperability with US joint forces and other regional and NATO forces. Poland already has JASSM-ERs in its inventory and will have no difficulty absorbing these articles and services into its armed forces.

“The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.”

South Korea and Canada are among the allied partners that the Defense Logistics Agency commonly supports through foreign military sales, but current crises in Ukraine and Israel also drive some of the agency’s current work, according to Andre Hinson, FMS account manager for the Defense Logistics Agency and liaison to the DSCA.

“We want to be interoperable with our NATO partners and the foreign military sales program allows us to work succinctly and without delay in a time of crisis,” said Hinson.

“A large amount of our support is toward sustainment and material readiness for both ground and aviation equipment in those regions.”

For any foreign military sale case to begin, a letter of request must be sent from the eligible foreign nation’s embassy to the US Embassy.

Each case is unique and may require discussions to develop requirements and an actionable agreement. The State Department helps determine what the requester may or may not have. From there, requests are filtered down to a case manager through the DSCA, and the case manager works with the nation to build a letter of acceptance outlining the transaction, to include how much of an item the customer needs, when they want it and other terms.

All requests include the amount the buyer will spend and indicate whether the partner knows what they’ll buy. A request that outlines which items will be purchased is known as a Cooperative Logistics Supply Support Agreement, which helps DLA project future demand and invest in additional stock.

Hinson said the DLA can sometimes overcome availability obstacles, especially for urgent needs.

“When there’s been an aircraft on the ground that a particular nation needed for mission support, for example, we were able to move material out much quicker than normal, even within 30 days.

“If parts are no longer in our inventory, DLA item managers will work with industry to procure them, but the customer understands the lead time for those items can be potentially long and they’re willing to wait if it’s not a readiness priority.

“We’re not the only nation with a robust supply chain. If we don’t stay in close ties and collaboration with our NATO countries, they have the option to go elsewhere to procure sustainment for their equipment.

“But any time we share parts for weapons systems that are similar or the same as those used by our allies, we’re more effective as a team.”