On Tuesday, Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz is expected to sign a contract with the US government for the supply of such missiles.
The missiles have a range of around 1,000 km and the deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2026 and end in 2030, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
The US Congress in March cleared the sale of various types of air defence missiles to Poland, aiding the country's efforts to strengthen its deterrence capabilities amid Russia's war against Ukraine, according to an announcement at the time.
The announcement came after the US State Department greenlighted the deal earlier that month.
The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said on March 12 that Poland had requested to buy equipment including up to 821 "AGM-158B-2 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles with Extended Range (JASSM-ER) All-Up-Rounds;" up to 745 "AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM);" and 232 "AIM-9X Sidewinder Block II Tactical Missiles" for a total estimated cost of USD 3.68 billion.
US President Joe Biden in March reassured Polish leaders that American support for their country is "ironclad" amid growing concerns in Europe over Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine.
During a meeting with Poland's President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk at the White House on March 12, Biden praised his country's relationship with Poland, reiterating that Warsaw was a critical NATO ally for Washington, according to reports at the time.
The White House said in a statement on March 12 that Biden at the meeting "shared the United States will move forward with a new $2 billion Foreign Military Financing (FMF) direct loan to Poland to bolster its security and support its defense modernization using previously appropriated congressional funds. This loan will enable Poland’s purchase of additional U.S. defense equipment, further supporting U.S. jobs and our deepening security relationship."
Biden "also shared that the United States will offer to sell Poland 96 AH-64 Apache helicopters. This is a major step to provide Poland’s armed forces with cutting-edge capability to defend itself, strengthen NATO interoperability, and further bolster the U.S. defense industry," according to the statement.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, starting the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II.
Tuesday is day 825 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, dsca.mil