European missile house MBDA has finalised an agreement with Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ) covering MBDA’s support as PGZ delivers the Narew air defence programme for the Polish armed forces.
The Narew programme will provide Poland with a highly advanced mobile air defence system capable of dealing with modern and future threats out to ranges beyond 40 km, utilising the CAMM-ER missile developed in co-operation between the UK and Italy. The PGZ-Narew Consortium was awarded the executive contracts for the Narew programme in September from the Polish Armament Agency.
MBDA’s agreement with PGZ, signed on 7 November 2023, enables PGZ to implement these executive contracts, valued in excess of GBP 4 Bn (EUR 4.6 Bn), by concluding the terms of MBDA’s unprecedented transfer of key technologies and knowledge to PGZ. It enables the PGZ-Narew Consortium to produce more than 1,000 CAMM-ER air defence missiles and over 100 launchers for the Narew programme in Poland.
Narew highlights the growing relationship between MBDA and PGZ and provides further evidence of the success of the Strategic Co-operation Agreement signed between the companies in 2017. “The technology transfer in Narew, and associated growth across Polish industries, is unique in the UK-Poland defence partnership and paves the way for deep ties on complex weapons with Poland.,” MBDA stated in its press release.
“The scale and ambition of Narew is truly impressive – building a Polish air defence shield using our CAMM family missiles and iLaunchers that will protect the entirety of Poland’s skies,” stated MBDA CEO Eric Béranger. “The transfer of technology in Narew will be transformative for Poland’s sovereign complex weapons capabilities, and we are deeply proud of the trust placed in us by Poland and excited for the future of our partnership with the eleven members of the PGZ-NAREW Consortium.”
Narew is the latest in a series of air defence projects utilising the CAMM missile family that MBDA and PGZ have been jointly contracted for in Poland. It follows from the Mała Narew urgent operational requirement contract placed in 2022 and now in service, the Pilica+ short-range air defence system contracted earlier in 2023, work on the Miecznik frigate programme, and studies for the future joint development of CAMM-MR. In addition, MBDA and PGZ are also co-operating on the Ottokar Brzoza tank destroyer project.
