Poland's proposal for Patriot servicing centre gets top review, minister says
LMT•Poland's offer to host a servicing centre for Lockheed Martin's Patriot interceptor missile received the highest evaluation among proposals from four countries, deputy defence minister Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka said. She said the final decision was political and Washington could announce it in the coming days.
1. Poland tops proposal review
Poland's offer to host a servicing centre for Lockheed Martin's Patriot interceptor missile received the highest evaluation among proposals from Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden, Polish deputy defence minister Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka said. She said Lockheed Martin reviewed the proposals, but the final decision was political and she expected Washington to announce it in the coming days.
2. Maintenance and production plans
The project could lead to a production line, the United States has said. Countries are seeking missile maintenance and production capabilities closer to home as wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have strained air-defence interceptor stocks and caused delivery delays.
3. Officials plan visits
Sobkowiak-Czarnecka said US Under Secretary of Defense Michael Duffey, who first revealed plans for Lockheed Martin's European maintenance facility in July, would visit Poland early next month. Polish defence minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz would visit the Pentagon within several weeks, she said.
