President Andrzej Duda and Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak were in the audience as the first battery of Patriot launchers was test-operated at a training ground in the northern city of Toruń, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
The US-made Patriot system will soon become the basis of Poland’s comprehensive Wisła (Vistula) medium-range air defence system, officials said.
'Plan becoming reality'
Addressing the gathering, Duda noted that the first contracts for the delivery of Patriot missile batteries to Poland were signed four years ago.
The president said: “What was merely a plan in 2018, is becoming reality today. The first elements of the Patriot system are standing here. I would like to thank all those who made this happen.”
Duda said that the medium-range Vistula system, featuring Patriot batteries, would be integrated with the very short-range Pilica system and the short-range Narew system to create “Poland’s multi-layer, interoperational, anti-missile and anti-aircraft defence system that will be undoubtedly the most advanced in the world and fully NATO-integrated.”
The president stressed that the creation of a comprehensive air defence system was now “an obvious necessity because of the need to ensure Poland’s security as soon as possible in the face of the war in Ukraine and the related risk and threat,” according to the PAP news agency.
Meanwhile, Błaszczak hailed Poland’s new missile defence systems, saying: “We have achieved the goal. The Polish Patriots are being integrated as we proceed to build a multi-layer air defence system based on components produced by the Polish armament industry.”
Błaszczak stated that after F-35 multirole combat aircraft are added to Poland’s comprehensive air defence system, Warsaw will "achieve security conditions that are unprecedented in Europe.”
Friday was day 233 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, tvpparlament.pl, 300polityka.pl