Poland buys hundreds of US air-to-air missiles

WARSAW: Poland has signed a deal with the United States to buy hundreds of air-to-air missiles, the national armament agency said on Friday, the latest upgrade to its military capabilities.

The AIM-120C AMRAAM missiles will be delivered between 2029 and 2033 for the air force´s fighter jets, the agency said on X.

The eastern European country has accelerated the modernisation of its armed forces in the wake of Russia´s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in 2022. This contract is worth $855 million.

Poland´s air force already boasts the advanced US F-16 fighter and will dedicate more than four percent of its annual economic output to defence this year -- double Nato´s target of two percent.

Warsaw has signed a string of deals, mostly with the United States and South Korea.

According to Polish media, Warsaw and Washington will on Tuesday sign a deal to buy 96 US-made AH-64E Apache combat helicopters valued at more than $9 billion.

Washington gave the green light for the deal last year, which will allow Poland to replace its ageing fleet of Soviet-era Mi-24 helicopters.

Poland´s defence minister this week also announced that a deal would be signed to acquire 48 US-made Patriot missile launchers.