SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
Poland says will spend 43 bn euros on military upgrade
Warsaw, Feb 28 (AFP) Feb 28, 2019
Poland said Thursday it would spend $49 billion by 2026 to modernise its armed forces by buying fighter jets, helicopters and submarines.

The new equipment will be deployed mainly in eastern Poland -- NATO's eastern flank -- amid concern following Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea and the collapse of a landmark US-Russia arms treaty.

"We know how to modernise Poland's military and we will do it!" Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak tweeted.

He said planned purchases included submarines, marine helicopters, surface-to-air defence systems and 32 new fifth-generation fighters to replace Russian aircraft.

Blaszczak did not specify when the purchases will be made.

Earlier this month, the US and Poland inked a deal for Warsaw to buy American mobile rocket launchers worth $414 million.

In March last year, Warsaw signed a $4.75 billion contract to purchase a US-made Patriot anti-missile system.

Poland's right-wing government has been pushing for the US to open a permanent military base. Nearly 5,000 American troops are already stationed on a rotational basis as part of NATO operations.

According to Polish media, US Under Secretary of Defence for Policy John Rood is expected in Warsaw next month to announce a plan for an important US command centre in Poland.

With a defence budget equal to 2 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP), Poland is in the minority of NATO countries that have met the Western defence alliance's expenditure target.


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
Maven stays silent after routine pass behind Mars
Sun boundary map tracks shifting Alfven surface over solar cycle
Mission Space to fly second space weather payload with Rogue Space

24/7 Energy News Coverage
Molecular contacts push tandem solar cells to 31.4 percent efficiency
Asymmetric side chain design boosts thick film organic solar cell efficiency
New analysis links lead cooled reactor corrosion to steel microstructure

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
Autonomous DARPA project to expand satellite surveillance network by BAE Systems
Momentus joins US Space Force SHIELD contract vehicle
IAEA calls for repair work on Chernobyl sarcophagus

24/7 News Coverage
UAlbany Atmospheric Scientist Proposes Innovative Method to Reduce Aviation's Climate Impact
Digital twin successfully launched and deployed into space
Robots that spare warehouse workers the heavy lifting



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.