Parts for Patriot missiles to be produced in new factory in Poland

Arms and aerospace company Lockheed Martin and Poland’s Military Aviation Works 1 (WZL1) announced that they have signed a contract to build a factory producing elements for PAC-3 MSE missiles, that will be used in the Polish Patriot surface-to-air missile systems.

Contracts on deliveries of Patriot launchers signed

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The new production plant will be located in Dęblin, some 90km south-east of Warsaw. The investment will be a realisation of the industrial and offset agreements signed with Lockheed Martin in association with the Polish medium-range air defence programme Wisła.

Around 20 new Polish employers will be hired to work in the construction factory with 3,000 square metres of surface. It is planned to be opened in 2021.

Missiles PAC-3 MSE (Patriot Advanced Capability-3, Missile Segment Enhancement) will be the main elements of the Polish air defence system.

“This programme is a milestone in current and further relations with Lockheed Martin company,” Bartłomiej Kacperczyk, a member of the WZL1 board and the director of its branch in Dęblin said.

“We are anxious to continue our cooperation in the Wisła programme, which is one of the key undertakings aiming to ensure Polish security in the near future. We are also open for further cooperation with Lockheed Martin company,” he added.

“For more than 20 years, Lockheed Martin has been a strategic partner of Polish national defence and industry. The company seriously treats its involvement in support of the Polish economy by investments, creating jobs and sharing technologies,” Robert Orzyłowski, the director of Lockheed Martin for Poland and Central-Eastern Europe said.

The Patriot surface-to-air missile systems, produced by another American company, Raytheon, were bought by the Polish army in the framework of the air and anti-missile medium-range system Wisła. The agreement worth USD 4.75 bn was signed in March 2018.