Poland to Host €227M Patriot Missile Service Center

Poland has announced that it will be hosting a European service center for US-made PAC-3 interceptor missiles, aiming to cut repair times for weapons that are already in short supply worldwide and critical to Ukraine’s defense against Russian ballistic missile attacks. Polish Deputy Defense Minister Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka, who led Warsaw’s negotiations, called the decision “historic” in a statement on Tuesday, Oct. 27. Three other countries had competed to host the facility, she said, naming Germany, the Netherlands and Norway.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “This success was not a given. It is the result of many months of negotiations and the hard work of the entire team,” Sobkowiak-Czarnecka wrote, noting that the Polish bid had been the highest rated since the application stage. According to TVP World citing Sobkowiak-Czarnecka, the hub would be the only one of its kind outside the United States. Its cost would be roughly 1 billion Polish zlotys (about $253 million) and would take about a year to become fully operational. In her statement, the defense minister thanked Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, who appointed her chief negotiator. The outcome showed what was possible when the government and the country’s President Karol Nawrocki pulled in the same direction, she added. Other Topics of Interest Kyiv Plans $22 Million in New Water Crossings Over Dnipro River The announcement follows a Russian ballistic missile attack on Kyiv overnight on Oct. 27 that damaged the capital’s South Bridge and its metro infrastructure. Short repair times for scarce interceptors PAC-3 missiles, used in US-made Patriot air-defense systems, are currently shipped to the US for servicing, which led Washington to seek a European site to cut turnaround times, TVP World reported. The US, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden signed an agreement with manufacturer Lockheed Martin in July, in an aim to explore setting up such a hub. According to the broadcaster, Warsaw has long pursued the project with hopes that it would eventually lead to Patriot missile production in Poland. Plant near Warsaw seen as likely site Although the government did not officially name a location at the time of the report, TVP World reported that the WZE electronics plant in Zielonka, located about 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) northeast of Warsaw, is widely seen as the leading candidate. In September, Sobkowiak-Czarnecka toured the plant with US Under Secretary of State Thomas DiNanno. At the time, the US Embassy in Warsaw noted that the visit highlighted bilateral cooperation on critical Patriot components. Under a 2019 agreement with Lockheed Martin, the plant already produces and services key PAC-3 MSE components, TVP World reported. Ukraine facing critical shortage As of Oct. 15, Ukraine has reportedly depleted its stocks of Patriot interceptor missiles. For the country, the PAC-3 is currently among the very few weapons capable of intercepting Russia’s Iskander-M, a ballistic missile carrying a half-ton warhead strong enough to tear down a quarter to half of a typical apartment block. The shortfall was particularly felt during Russia’s large-scale attack overnight into Wednesday, Oct. 14, when most incoming ballistic missiles reached their targets. The strike hit three power plants in Kyiv and energy facilities in Kharkiv, killing four people and injuring at least 25 in the capital. According to CNN’s exclusive, Ukraine fired its last remaining Patriots as the Air Force shot down four Russian ballistic missiles during that same attack. Around the same time, the US aerospace giant Starlink tweaked parameters and limited terminals above 160 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour), crippling Kyiv’s drone operations, including interceptor drones used against Russian jet-powered Shahed drones. As of Oct. 1, Lockheed Martin is in advanced talks over PAC-3 production outside the US over tripled demand, as countries seek to rebuild their stocks amid the war in Iran and Russia’s escalating rhetoric towards Europe. For much of the year, Ukraine has repeatedly appealed to its Western partners for faster deliveries of Patriot interceptors. On Sept. 8, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Germany would deliver PAC-2 missiles to Ukraine from it’s own Bundeswehr stocks, while Ukrainian Defense Minister Yevhen Khmara said contracts are being signed with partners for about 1,000 Patriot missiles. During the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, US President Donald Trump said he made a “final decision” to grant Ukraine the licenses to produce Patriot missiles domestically, after backtracking on the previous July commitment. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.