“Largest Contract” in Polish Defense Industry’s History

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Poland kicks off a new locally-made air defense system. The Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ) consortium signed what may be the most important contract in the history of the Polish defense industry — a framework agreement for the acquisition of a short-range air defense (SHORAD) missile system under the code-name “Narew.”

The move was defined by Poland’s President as the “largest and most complex contract in the history of Polish Armed Forces”. The consortium reflects a broad coalition that shows how important Narew will be to the Polish domestic defense industry.

The scope of the executory agreements involves the development and delivery of components and subsystems for 23 systems, including technology and technical expertise acquisition, industrial capacity development, project management, and system integration. The estimated value of the contract is 50-70 billion zlotys, roughly a $12.5 to $17.6 billion range. 

The goal is to integrate the missile system capabilities with existing Polish radar systems as well as the Patriot systems already procured from the US. 

Overall, Narew will consist of newly-procured vehicles; engagement control stations; engagement operation centers; EO systems; mobile communication nodes; a multimode fire control radar called “Sajna,” which serves as an early warning radar; as well as air defense missiles and launchers, which will be acquired from a foreign partner under the technology transfer.

While that foreign partner has not been selected, it is expected that MBDA will push to provide the missiles and launchers for the system. America’s Raytheon Technologies, Norway’s Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace, and Israel’s Rafael and Israel Aerospace Industries are also expected to be in the mix, reports breakingdefense.com.

The first live firing of the Narew system elements is to take place in 2026.