Germany is offering Poland the Patriot anti-missile system to defend itself on the Ukrainian border
Poland’s lack of the ability to respond to an air attack was evident last week, when Polish radars were able to detect a collision risk just a few kilometers from its border with Ukraine without the army being able to react to avoid it. In an effort to build confidence in the Polish population and with the aim of further strengthening NATO’s eastern flank, Germany is now offering its Polish neighbors its own defense system. Patriot anti-missile missiles. german defense minister, Christine Lambrechthe emphasized that “we have provided support to Poland to secure airspace, we are already in Slovakia with the Patriot system and we want to extend our presence there until the end of 2023, and maybe even later.”
In an interview with the Düsseldorf ‘Rheinische Post’, Lambrecht acknowledged that as a result of the impact of a Russian-made missile last Tuesday in Przewodow, NATO has to position itself better in terms of air defense in the region. “This is especially true of such NATO partners as Poland, Slovakia and the Baltic states, which are located directly on the borders of Russia and Ukraine,” the minister explained.
Airspace control
Berlin also offered to monitor Polish airspace with patrols made up of its own fighters. “As an immediate reaction, we are introducing the German Eurofighters as reinforcement for Poland’s surveillance, airspace and combat air patrols,” German Defense Ministry spokesman Christian Thiels said last week. If Warsaw desired, patrols could begin “immediately”.
According to the German government, support for the Eurofighters could be provided without transferring the aircraft to Polish territory. Patrols can be conducted directly from the bases of the German Air Force. Minister Lambrecht has already discussed this cooperation with her Polish counterpart to formalize the offer and has also reached out to the Slovak government to extend the activity of the Patriot system in this country at least until the end of 2023, and possibly until 2024.
The Patriot system (‘target interception phased array tracking radar’) is used to combat aircraft, tactical ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles. Each battery consists of six launch vehicles capable of transporting 4 missiles each (16 in the case of the PAC-3), towed by an M-860 semi-trailer. It is controlled by another trailer carrying the MSQ-104 control station and directed by AN / MPQ-53 or AN / MPQ-65 radar, and connected to the OE-349 antenna system. When the system’s radar system detects a threat, the information is sent to the launch unit. Its range is about 70 kilometers.
Unusual budget
The German Ministry of Defense has an exceptional budget of 100,000 million euros only for the current year, with the main objective of strengthening the capabilities of the German army. It has just given the go-ahead for the next phase of its FCAS fighter jet project, along with France and Spain, and intends to double soldier recruitment. Lambrecht made it clear in the same interview that she was very satisfied with the Bundeswehr’s special fund.
“It cannot be that we have to collect materials from all over the republic. When it comes to acquisitions, we must be faster, better, and we will be faster,” he said, but he is under heavy criticism from the opposition. The deputy chairman of the CDU’s parliamentary group, Johan Wadphul, lamented that “nine months after the announcement of the Special Fund for the Army, it is sad that the Ministry of Defense has not implemented the necessary procurement measures.” “Lack of political will and lack of leadership on the part of Minister Lambrecht,” he diagnosed the problem, under his charge, “the army is getting weaker every day instead of getting stronger.”
