Polish Armaments Group CEO Sebastian Chwałek and MBDA Poland Sales Manager Adrian Monks today signed the Interim Capability Contract in Warsaw, which is the first of two steps to deliver the Common Anti-Aircraft Missile (CAMM) , a surface-to-air missile.
This collaboration will enhance the security and defense development of both NATO countries and strengthen European security.
Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said:
Poland and the UK have an important and far-reaching defense partnership, and this move will benefit both countries, as well as the broader NATO alliance.
This missile is at the forefront of threat detection and deterrence, with Poland’s short-range air defense system seeing even greater alignment between our armed forces.
Flying at supersonic speeds, CAMM missiles can destroy modern aerial threats, including stealth aircraft and high-speed missiles.
Each CAMM family missile is equipped with an advanced active radar seeker that can see even the smallest, fastest and stealthiest targets through the worst weather conditions and heaviest electronic jamming. They are capable of hitting a tennis ball sized object traveling at many times the speed of sound.
The British Sky Saber and Polish NAREW GBAD systems will both use the same CAMM missiles and launchers, but with Polish-designed radar, C2 and vehicle components. The British Army is currently deploying its CAMM-based GBAD system, known as Sky Saber, to Poland to help protect Polish airspace.
It is also planned to share these pioneering technologies for the production of other ground-based air defense systems (GBAD) in Poland, which will develop and maintain essential skills and jobs in the respective missile sectors.
MBDA UK Managing Director Chris Allam said:
MBDA is proud to be part of such an important program for the protection of the Polish skies with our Polish partners from the Polish Armaments Group. This rapid initial Narew project demonstrates MBDA’s agility in responding to urgent needs and developing sovereign system solutions in a timely manner. We are already working on delivering the first systems to Poland as well as the wider Narew technology transfer and Polish manufacturing program.
The historic move follows Polish President Andrzej Duda’s visit earlier this month, where he spoke with Prime Minister Boris Johnson about ramping up defensive support for Ukraine.
During a visit to Poland in November to reaffirm the UK’s commitment to European defense and NATO, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace and Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak agreed on a statement of intent for air defense cooperation.
The missile agreement builds on the close bilateral relationship between forces operating side by side on land, at sea and in the air. It also follows Ukraine’s Naval Capability Enhancement Program announced in 2020, which includes naval infrastructure, new missile launchers, modernization of their current ships and two ex-Royal Navy mine countermeasures vessels.
Armed Forces Defense Minister James Heappey will also travel to Warsaw later this week to meet with key military personnel involved in Op CABRIT as part of the Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) for the delivery of NATO. The eFP compromises four multinational battlegroups in Estonia, Poland, Latvia and Lithuania that defend the collective security of NATO.
The CAMM is the latest generation of air defense missile used by both the British Army and Royal Navy and manufactured in Bolton, with MBDA UK based in Stevenage and employing 4,000 people across the country.
