On October 5, the Polish Minister Mariusz Blaszczak met with soldiers from the 37th Air Defense Missile Squadron who were starting duty on elements of the Patriot system as part of the process of strengthening the Polish Air Defense System. Less than a year after the start of deliveries and integration of the Patriot/IBCS system, it has completed several exercises: in February in Warsaw’s Bemowo, in April in Radom, in August in Lask, and intensive training of staff, 37 DROP will soon be incorporated into the Polish Air Defense System. M. Blaszczak thanked the soldiers for their service and informed about the increase in payments for soldiers securing or performing combat duty shifts in the Polish Air Defense System.
“Unlike those who criticize me and who say that little or nothing is happening, or that they criticize me because we have not joined the European system – that is, the German system, constructed for the profits of German industry….we did not join because this system does not exist. And ours exists. We built it, we are still building it, it is a whole process, in cooperation with the United States and Great Britain. Modern anti-aircraft and anti-missile equipment, acquired and implemented over the last few years, actually strengthens the security of the Polish sky. We are consistently building a multi-layer, integrated anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense system with the participation of Polish industry and American and British partners,” said B?aszczak.
In March 2018 the Ministry of National Defence signed the deal worth $4.75 billion for two Patriot Configuration 3+ batteries for deliveries in 2022. The purchase includes Northrop Grumman’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS) and four fire units equipped with four AN/MPQ-65 radars, 16 launchers, four Engagement Control Stations, six Engagement Operation Centers, 12 IFCN Relays and 208 PAC-3 MSE missiles. In December 2022 the first battery was delivered to Poland. In June 2023, the State Department approved a potential sale of additional IBCS-capable equipment valued at $15 billion, which includes 12 LTAMDS (GhostEye) radars, 48 M903 launchers, and 644 PAC-3 MSE missiles.
The MIM-104 Patriot is a surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, the primary such system used by the United States Army and several allied states. It is manufactured by the U.S. defense contractor Raytheon and derives its name from the radar component of the weapon system. The AN/MPQ-53 at the heart of the system is known as the “Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target”, which is a backronym for “Patriot”. The most significant upgrade to the atriot Advanced Capability 3 (PAC-3) missile is the addition of a Ka band active radar seeker. This allows the missile to drop its uplink to the system and acquire its target itself in the terminal phase of its intercept, which improves the reaction time of the missile against a fast-moving ballistic missile target. The active radar gives the warhead a “hit-to-kill” (kinetic kill vehicle) capability that completely eliminates the need for a traditional proximity-fused warhead.
