Μake us preferred on Google Poland will become a key European hub for maintaining Patriot interceptor missiles under a planned investment worth approximately $253 million, Polish Deputy Defense Minister Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka said Tuesday.
The facility is expected to take around a year to become operational, with an estimated cost of 1 billion zlotys. It will be the only center of its kind outside the United States, according to the deputy minister.
The decision followed a competition involving Poland, Germany, the Netherlands and Norway. Sobkowiak-Czarnecka announced Poland’s selection on social media, describing the outcome as a significant achievement after the other countries also sought to host the investment.
U.S. points to cross-border industrial cooperation
The new site will support the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missile system, manufactured by Lockheed Martin. The U.S. Defense Department said the European facility would be backed by cooperation across the Atlantic, with Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden taking leading roles in integrating critical supply chains.
The Pentagon said locating maintenance, repair and overhaul capabilities within Europe would cut the time needed to return equipment to service and make essential supply routes more secure.
Demand for air defense equipment puts pressure on supplies
The project comes as wars in Ukraine and the Middle East strain stocks of interceptor missiles and contribute to delays in deliveries. The pressure has encouraged countries to develop more maintenance and production capacity closer to home.
By establishing a repair center in Poland, the project will give European operators access to regional servicing for Patriot interceptors rather than relying solely on facilities in the United States.
The investment is intended to improve the availability of equipment and reinforce the supply network supporting Europe’s air defense systems.
