£4 billion UK-Poland air defence deal strengthens European security

London: The UK and Poland defence industries have today signed a milestone deal, worth over £4 billion, to continue the next phase of Poland’s future air defence programme, Narew.

UK firm MBDA has signed the sub-contract with Polish defence company PGZ, in a programme that will provide Polish forces with an enhanced ground-based air defence system capable of launching missiles to engage air threats, such as cruise missiles and fighter jets, at ranges of more than 40 kilometres. It will create more than 1,000 Common Anti-Air Modular Missiles – Extended Range (CAMM-ER) and over 100 iLaunchers.

Bolstering security and defence development for both NATO countries, the deal is the largest commercial agreement ever secured between the UK and Poland.

It is the culmination of years of close collaboration and will strengthen Poland’s military capabilities, while delivering on the UK Prime Minister’s priority to grow the economy and continuing to showcase British industry as a leading global defence partner.

Bringing significant benefit to both nations’ defence industries, the partnership will see British engineers from Bolton, Bristol and Stevenage working with their Polish counterparts, sharing key technologies and supporting jobs and critical skills in both countries for more than 15 years.

Defence Secretary, Grant Shapps, said: “This is another crucial step forward for our historic defence ties with Poland, supplying next generation air defence capabilities to act as a clear deterrent to our adversaries.

We continue to fully back our thriving UK defence industry, and this landmark export deal is yet another example of the huge potential our collective defence sectors boast.”

In addition to the air defence launchers and missiles, the partnership will see the UK support Poland to be able to manufacture complex missiles on Polish soil in years to come, further increasing regional security through greater supply chain flexibility.

This contract is a huge step forward in UK-Polish defence relations, building on the UK-Polish Defence Treaty and the UK–Poland 2030 strategic partnership, which will be of long-term benefit to the defence, jobs and skills of both nations.

Managing Director of MBDA UK, Chris Allam said: “The scale and ambition of NAREW is truly impressive – building a Polish air defence shield using our CAMM family missiles and iLaunchers that will protect the entirety of Poland’s skies.

The transfer of technology in NAREW will be transformative for Poland’s sovereign complex weapons capabilities, and we are deeply proud of the trust placed in us by Poland and excited for the future of our partnership with PGZ.”

Following a contract awarded by the Polish government to PGZ in September this year, the Narew system will utilise MBDA’s CAMM-ER missile, developed jointly by the UK and Italy, in addition to Polish radars, vehicles and other equipment together with the United States’ Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS).

Earlier this year, the UK and Poland announced the first stage of a programme to deliver the CAMM to Poland in a £1.9 billion contract. Flying at supersonic speeds, CAMM missiles can destroy modern air threats including stealth aircraft and high-speed missiles.

As historic defence partners and NATO Allies, the UK stands with Poland to defend NATO’s Eastern Flank and support Ukraine against Russian aggression.

The UK and Poland are close Allies, with hundreds of British troops deployed to the country at any one time. That includes the recent deployments of Challenger 2 tanks and Sky Sabre air defence systems to Poland.