Poland to Host PAC-3 Missile Maintenance Centre
The US government and Lockheed Martin announced on 27 October that Poland will host a dedicated maintenance facility for the repair, refurbishment, testing and recertification of PAC-3 interceptors used by NATO countries. It will be the first PAC-3 maintenance facility outside the United States.
What the Centre Will Do
According to Lockheed Martin’s press release, the facility will provide onsite repair, refurbishment, lifecycle support and re-certification for NATO allies that operate PAC-3 interceptors, and will carry out integrated testing. The release says this will speed up resupply and strengthen NATO’s integrated air and missile defence across Europe. Militarnyi says the missiles previously had to be sent to the United States for this work.
Partners and Competition
The release says Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden, the original signatories to the agreement, play roles in the supply chain, and that the facility will be fully integrated with Poland’s existing defence-industrial ecosystem. Militarnyi reports that Poland’s deputy defence minister said Poland, Germany, the Netherlands and Norway competed to host it. It also cites Reuters for a cost of roughly PLN 1 billion, a figure not in the company’s release. Polish Defence Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz has reportedly said round-trip shipping to the US and recertification can take up to two years.
Tim Cahill, president of Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, called the centre the next evolution of the company’s partnership with Europe, aimed at keeping these advanced systems available where and when they are most needed.
Not Disclosed
The release does not state the facility’s location in Poland, the investment amount, the construction or operating timeline, or the number of jobs. It also notes that the US government awarded Lockheed Martin $58.62 billion this year for multiyear PAC-3 MSE production.
Originally reported by Envanter Medya.
