The United States government has approved the possible Foreign Military Sale of Patriot air defense systems for an estimated cost of $15 billion.

The news was published on the official website of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency of the US Department of Defense.

The Polish government has requested the purchase of a set of six Patriot PAC-3 air defense system batteries as part of the second stage of the Wisła air defense program development.

The request included: 48 PATRIOT M903 Launch Stations, up to 644 PATRIOT Advanced Capability (PAC) 3 Missile Segment Enhanced (MSE) missiles, 12 Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensors (LTAMDS), and 12 Large Tactical Power Systems (LTPS) for the LTAMDS. Also included are communications equipment, support equipment, spare parts, repair parts, and Global Positioning System PPS (SAASM) receivers.

The total cost of systems, along with the associated equipment and services, is estimated at $15 billion.

The delivery of the first two batteries is expected to be realized in 2026, and the completion of deliveries is planned for 2028.

The procurement of a package of air defense systems, as well as combat control systems, is being carried out under the large-scale two-stage Wisła air defense program on the development of the national air defense system.

Within the 1st stage of the project, with a total cost of about $4.75 billion, the Polish military purchased two divisions of the Patriot PAC-3 air defense system, consisting of two batteries in each. The initial readiness of the systems for combat use is planned for the end of 2023 – the beginning of 2024.

IBCS

It is stated that all the batteries of the ordered Patriot systems must be integrated into the unified combat control system of air and missile defense IBCS (Integrated Battle Command System). Poland is currently the first foreign operator of this system.

The combat management system has an open, modular, and scalable architecture. IBCS should ensure the integration of all existing and promising anti-aircraft, reconnaissance, and radar systems into a single network.

It is designed to integrate data from other resources for a common battle space.

The developer of the system, Northrop Grumman, notes that during numerous tests and demonstrations, the IBCS has proven its ability to connect and combine data from a variety of radar control and intelligence systems with the transfer of control commands to various combat systems.