September 5, 2023

Poland becomes first international LTAMDS customer

Source: Raytheon (RTX)

The Polish Minister of National Defence, Mariusz Błaszczak, approved a Letter of Acceptance with the U.S. Army to expand its WISŁA air and missile defence capabilities with the introduction of 12 Lower-Tier Air and Missile Defence Sensors, or LTAMDS, and the addition of 48 Patriot launchers. The agreement sets the Foreign Military Sale into motion and makes Poland the first international customer to add the advanced 360-degree LTAMDS radar being built by Raytheon, an RTX business, to their air and missile defence architecture.

The acquisition supports the Polish Government’s WISŁA Phase 2 program, building on the nearly completed first phase which culminated with the delivery and testing of four Patriot fire units. Raytheon completed its delivery of the last two fire units to Poland earlier this year and the systems will complete System Integration and Check-Out, or SICO, in October.

“Poland’s expansion of its WISŁA program will fortify the country’s security and defence against a range of air and missile threats,” said Tom Laliberty, president of Land & Air Defence Systems at Raytheon. “With the introduction of LTAMDS, Poland will become the first country after the US to complement the combat-proven Patriot with LTAMDS which provides extended range and full, 360-degree coverage to detect and defend against complex, highly coordinated, multi-threat attack scenarios.”

Raytheon’s successful deliveries for WISŁA Phase 1 were due in large part to the collaborative partnerships with Polish industry. Nine Polish suppliers contributed various system elements and components to the Patriot system and are now part of Raytheon’s Global Supply Chain. Participation will continue and expand with an offset program for Phase 2, including opportunities to support LTAMDS. 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. It is envisioned they will become part of the LTAMDS global supply chain.

Patriot is the only combat-proven ground based air defence capability available in the world today to defeat advanced long-range cruise missiles, tactical ballistic missiles, and a full spectrum of air-breathing threats. It is the backbone of air defence for 19 countries.

LTAMDS is the next generation air and missile defence radar for the U.S. Army. A 360-degree, Active Electronically Scanned Array radar, powered by Raytheon-manufactured Gallium Nitride, LTAMDS provides dramatically more performance against the range of threats, from manned and unmanned aircraft to cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and hypersonics. Raytheon is advancing the development of LTAMDS for the U.S. Army, with all six radars under contract having completed production and are undergoing simultaneous testing at various government and Raytheon test sites, conducting integration and test activities in parallel.