Login
iscover
British missile components will be delivered to Poland for integration with a short-range air defence system under a new collaboration agreement approved by the respective governments.
To continue reading the rest of this article, please log in.
Create free account to get unlimited news articles and more!
The UK and Polish governments have approved a defence industry collaboration agreement for the early introduction of Poland’s future short-range air defence (SHORAD) system, known as “Narew”.
The agreement, signed by Polish defence industry consortium PGZ-Narew and British defence contractor MBDA, relates to the scheduling and terms of delivery of the Narew system components from the UK.
The arrangement involves the integration of the MBDA launcher and missiles with the radar station and the C2 communication and command system produced by the Polish defence industry.
This forms part of a broader contract to deliver two SHORAD fire units for the Polish Armed Forces, helping to further enhance collaboration between the NATO partners.
“Poland and the United Kingdom maintain a wide-ranging and important defence partnership and this move will benefit both countries, as well as the wider NATO alliance,” UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said.
“This missile is at the forefront of threat detection and deterrence, with Poland’s short-range air defence system seeing even greater alignment between our Armed Forces.”
The Common Anti Air Modular Missile (CAMM), to be supplied under the agreement, is designed to destroy modern air threats including stealth aircraft and high-speed missiles.
The missiles are equipped with an advanced active radar seeker that can reportedly detect targets in harsh weather conditions and withstand heavy electronic jamming.
The UK’s Sky Sabre and Poland’s Narew GBAD systems are both expected to leverage the same CAMM missiles and launcher.
The British Army is currently deploying the CAMM-based GBAD system in defence of Polish air space.
Chris Allam, managing director of MBDA UK, welcomed the opportunity to collaborate with Poland’s defence industry to shore-up the nation’s defences.
“This rapid initial Narew project demonstrates MBDA’s agility to respond to urgent needs and develop sovereign system solutions in rapid timescales,” Allam said.
“We are already working to deliver the first systems to Poland as well as addressing the wider Narew program of technology transfer and Polish manufacture.”
Sebastian Chwałek, president of the management board of PGZ SA, added: “The signed document is also another step towards concluding a strategic agreement with our British partner in the production of launchers and missiles at our plants, that is crucial for the success of the entire Narew program.”
[Related: British Army onboards new Apache fleet]
