“The underfunding of the armed forces development programme is estimated at around PLN 500 billion”, announced Deputy Minister of National Defence Paweł Bejda. However, he promised the signing of more than 150 contracts for the acquisition of various types of military equipment this year. 

During a session of the Sejm, in response to a question from MP Radosław Lubczyk on whether equipment purchases would continue and whether there was funding for contracts already purchased, Deputy Minister Bejda said that since 13 December 2023, more than a dozen contracts with a total multi-year value of more than PLN 30 billion had been concluded. 

“Already in his first month in charge of the defence ministry, eight contracts with a total value of PLN 19 billion have been concluded, of which PLN 18 billion will be allocated to the Polish Armaments Group and other Polish defence companies. He added that the ministry would aim to contract at least 50 % of the equipment from Polish industry.

According to the deputy minister of defence, programmes concerning air and missile defence systems, armoured forces, missile and artillery forces, the Air Force and the Navy will be continued first. The main effort is focused on acquiring modern military equipment that meets the requirements of not only the modern but also the future battlefield.

Deputy Minister Bejda revealed that the contracts planned to be concluded in 2024 include AH-64 Apache attack helicopters; aerostat-based airborne radar reconnaissance systems (approval has recently been received under the FMS); more tanks; more Homar-A and Homar-K multi-mission rocket launchers; helicopters of various types (including multi-role and support machines); unmanned reconnaissance and strike systems; F-16 aircraft modernisation; tank ammunition; airborne combat assets of various types and individual soldier equipment.

Adrian Andrzejewski