WARSAW — Following an announcement by Tomasz Siemoniak, Poland's deputy prime minister and defense minister, that the government aims to buy cruise missiles for three new submarines it plans to buy, France has offered to supply its Missile de Croisiere Naval should Warsaw opt for French-designed Scorpene subs.
Paris reportedly has authorized the designed procurement of the DCNS-built submarines and long-range MBDA missiles by Poland, local daily Gazeta Wyborcza reported. Under the plan, Poland is to could acquire 24 missiles for the three submarines. Of these, two subs are to would be delivered to Poland by 2022 and a third by 2023, according to the Polish Defense Ministry's Military Modernization Plan for the years 2013-2022.
According to the Polish Defense Ministry's Military Modernization Plan for the years 2013-2022, two submarines are to be delivered to the Polish Navy by 2022 and a third by 2023.
In March, Siemoniak announced that Warsaw is in talks with Washington and Paris over the potential cruise missile deal that would be carried out as part of the Defense Ministry's Polish Claws program, designed to significantly improve Poland's deterrence capacity.
One of the considered option would be to acquire Tomahawk cruise missiles from the US. To date, only the US and UK have the long-range Tomahawk, manufactured by Raytheon. Poland reportedly will sign the cruise missile contract in 2017.
Poland's Ministry of Defense aims to launch the submarine tender in the fourth quarter of 2015, according to the country's Deputy Defense Minister Maciej Jankowski said. The goal is to acquire the subs by 2023.
Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.
