Poland has signed an agreement to purchase 12 Lower-Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensors (LTAMDS) and 48 Patriot surface-to-air missile launchers from the US.
The foreign military sale supports the Polish military’s ongoing WISŁA air and missile defense program that seeks new firing capabilities, corresponding launchers, communication systems, and transport vehicles.
Articles ordered under the contract will be integrated into the WISŁA Phase 2.
The program’s first phase saw the delivery and evaluation of four Patriot launchers. The last two units were delivered by Raytheon earlier this year and are scheduled to complete System Integration and Check-Out this October.
“Poland’s expansion of its WISŁA program will fortify the country’s security and defense against a range of air and missile threats,” Raytheon Land & Air Defense Systems President Tom Laliberty stated.
“With the introduction of LTAMDS, Poland will become the first country after the US to complement the combat-proven Patriot with LTAMDS which provides extended range and full, 360-degree coverage to detect and defend against complex, highly coordinated, multi-threat attack scenarios.”
LTAMDS and Patriot
LTAMDS is a next-generation air and missile defense radar developed for the US Army. It incorporates a 360-degree active electronically scanned array radar or AESA powered by Raytheon’s proprietary Gallium Nitride technology.
The radar enhances the performance of weapon systems against various threats, including aircraft, drones, cruise and ballistic missiles, and hypersonics.
Meanwhile, the Patriot is a ground-based air defense system that counters long-range cruise missiles, tactical ballistic missiles, and an array of air-breathing weapons.
The missile system is currently deployed in 19 countries, including the US.
WISŁA Phase 2 With Raytheon
For the WISŁA’s second phase, Raytheon will continue and expand sub-projects supporting the LTAMDS.
The company will provide five Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) with equipment, technology, and training for the production and sustainment of LTAMDS components.
Resulting elements from these partnerships are expected to become part of the LTAMDS Global Supply Chain.
Prior to this, nine Polish suppliers contributed an array of capabilities for WISŁA Phase 1. Advancements that benefited the Patriot system have also become part of Raytheon’s Global Supply Chain.
