Poland faces German rival in bid to produce Patriot missiles

Germany has emerged as a competitor to Poland in seeking a US license to manufacture missiles for Patriot air defence systems, Polish Deputy Defence Minister Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka said.

Speaking to RMF FM, Sobkowiak-Czarnecka said Warsaw is currently negotiating with Washington over the license and confirmed that another EU member is also seeking approval.

“We are currently in negotiations [with the US]. There is at least one more EU country that is competing for this,” she said.

“It probably won’t be a secret that we are competing with Germany [for a license to produce Patriot missiles],” the deputy defence minister added.

According to Sobkowiak-Czarnecka, the United States could reach a decision on the issue by mid-September.

Poland previously proposed manufacturing Patriot missiles domestically after discussions began in July over the possibility of transferring a US production license for the weapons to Ukraine.

By Vafa Guliyeva