Poland will be the first international customer for the U.S. Army’s new air and missile defense radar still in development, according to a Sept. 5 statement by manufacturer RTX.
Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak approved a letter of acceptance to buy 12 RTX-developed Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensors, or LTAMDS, along with 48 Patriot launchers, the statement noted.
These new radars will be integrated into Poland’s air and missile defense architecture, known as the Wisla program, which already consists of RTX’s Patriot air defense system and the Northrop Grumman-developed Integrated Battle Command System, or IBCS. The country reached an agreement with the U.S. in 2018 to buy the Patriot system with IBCS.
The U.S. Army is developing the new 360-degree radar for its own future Integrated Air and Missile Defense Systems that will replace the Patriot. The system will consist of IBCS — as the command-and-control system — plus the LTAMDS radar and a launcher.
Having obtained a waiver to do so, Poland was the first country, even ahead of the U.S. Army, to receive and field the IBCS system. The service approved IBCS to move into full-rate production in April 2023 just as Poland received its systems in country.
For Poland, LTAMDS will be a part of its second phase of the Wisla program.
Already nine Polish suppliers have contributed “systems elements and components” for the Patriot system as part of the first phase of the Wisla program, RTX noted in its statement. And, according to the company, opportunities to support LTAMDS in Polish industry will be available.
Five Polish industry partners, all members of the PGZ group, will receive technology, equipment and training to enable them to produce and maintain components of LTAMDS, according to the statement. “It is envisioned they will become part of the LTAMDS global supply chain.”