Poland Moves to Scrap Defense System, Army Helicopter Contracts
- New minister calls Patriot deal `practically non-existent'
- Defense Ministry is `inclined to repeat' helicopter tender
This article is for subscribers only.
Poland’s new government moved toward to canceling contracts for Airbus Group SE helicopters and Raytheon Co. missile systems, potentially delaying key elements of its $38 billion defense spending program.
Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz said he was inclined to repeat the chopper tender, although the fate of the 13.6 billion-zloty ($3.4 billion) procurement for 50 Airbus Caracal aircraft still hinges on offset talks with another ministry. The contract for U.S. Patriot mid-range missiles, which are designed to shoot down incoming warheads, was “practically non-existent,” he told a parliamentary committee on Wednesday.