US greenlights $1.2 billion aerostat, radar deal with Poland

The US has approved an estimated $1.2 billion potential deal with Poland for radar recon aerostat systems, the State Department announced on February 7.

Warsaw had requested to buy Airspace and Surface Radar Reconnaissance (ASRR) aerostat systems — essentially radars attached to massive blimps tethered to the ground — with a myriad of associated equipment and other systems, Breaking Defense reports.

In May 2023 an official with Poland’s armament agency announced his office had submitted an inquiry to the US about four aerostat systems, part of a broader push for greater regional surveillance powers.

“Together with early warning aircraft, they will increase the Polish Armed Forces capabilities to monitor the airspace,” Lt. Col. Krzysztof Płatek tweeted on May 26.

Today’s announcement doesn’t say how many aerostat systems the State Department approved, but a Polish official tweeted the US had approved four systems, calling the announcement “good news from overseas,” according to an online translation.

Numbers of systems as well as estimated dollar figures in foreign military sales can change over the course of continued negotiations.

“The proposed sale will improve Poland’s capability to meet current and future threats of enemy air and ground weapons systems,” the State Department said. “Poland will use the capability as an airborne early warning system to defend against incoming regional threats. This will also enable Poland to increase its contribution to future NATO operations.”

The primary contractors for the deal are Raytheon Intelligence and Space, ELTA North America and Avantus Federal LLC.

Ever since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Poland has been on something of a defence spending spree in hopes of warding off a similar threat. In December 2022, Poland’s top general told Breaking Defense, “We just took our suitcases with money and [are] going like hell around the world and trying to buy.”

The approval of the potential aerostat deals is the latest in a string of Polish deals the State Department has OKed over the last year, from an estimated $4 billion in integrated air defense systems in September 2023 to $12 billion in Apache helicopters in August 2023 to $10 billion in High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems in February.