Radek Pietruszka/PAP

Poland is determined to expand its short- and mid-range air defence systems, the defence minister has said.

Mariusz Blaszczak made the pledge before going to observe a training exercise of a short-range air defence team at an airport in Warsaw on Monday.

“More training and more equipment, this time from the United Kingdom when it comes to launchers and missiles, and from Poland when it comes to radars and trucks that carry the launchers,” Blaszczak said. “So we have yet another example of cooperation between the Polish arms industry with the industry of a Nato member, this time the United Kingdom.”

In April 2022, Poland signed an agreement for the supply of six anti-aircraft systems equipped with British-made CAMM missiles.

“We’re determined that the Polish armed forces will gain battle readiness as soon as possible… and for the next layer of the multi-layer air defence to be ready to protect Polish skies,” the minister added.

Blaszczak went on to say that before the current government decided to improve the country’s air defences, the Polish armed forces had mostly relied on Soviet-era launchers and missiles.

Poland’s complete air defence system is planned to be composed of a mid-range component of US-made Patriot missiles, a short-range component offered by Narew missiles and the very-short-range missile platforms Poprad and Pilica.