MBDA, Poland’s PGZ to develop medium-range air defense missile

PARIS — European missile-maker MBDA and Polish defense company PGZ will jointly develop a surface-to-air missile to add a medium-range capacity to Poland’s air defenses, according to a statement Wednesday.

The companies signed a letter of intent to work on a medium-range, low-cost interceptor based on the U.K.’s Common Anti-air Modular Missile, or CAMM, the MBDA statement said. The development process will be a multiyear program, a company spokesman told Defense News.

The agreement comes as the U.K. and Poland seek to deepen defense ties, with British Defence Procurement Minister James Cartlidge visiting Poland’s largest defense trade show this week. In April, the countries announced a £1.9 billion (U.S. $2.4 billion) contract to supply Poland with launchers and CAMM short-range missiles — the largest defense export contract between the two nations.

MBDA said the planned CAMM-MR missile stems from a contract with the Polish Defence Ministry. The U.K. and Poland had said in October they were investigating possible cooperation in the development of a surface-launched long-range missile.

“This joint working on a new missile is a historic step for our companies and for the development of European solutions for the defense of Europe,” MBDA CEO Eric Béranger said in the statement.

Poland is spending heavily to modernize its air defense capabilities. On Tuesday, the government signed agreements for 48 Patriot M903 launchers, 12 Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensors radars , and hundreds of Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement weapons. The country also signed a contract for more than a thousand CAMM-ER missiles with a range exceeding 40 kilometers (25 miles) as well as 138 launchers for its Narew short-range air defense system .

MBDA and PGZ have an industrial agreement to work together on the CAMM-MR, with no value associated with the deal at this point, according to MBDA. The partners will build on the capabilities set up in Poland for the Narew program, with local manufacturing of the missiles.

The ambition is for the new missile to serve both the Polish and British militaries as a common munition with a dual source of production, PGZ leader Sebastian Chwałek said in the statement.

MBDA still has several options for the missile’s design after initial studies based on Poland’s requirements helped narrow down the choices. The CAMM-MR missile will be designed both for use on land as well as on the Miecznik frigates that Poland is building based on the Arrowhead 140 design from U.K. defense company Babcock.

Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.

巴黎——据周三发布的一份声明称，欧洲导弹制造商MBDA和波兰国防公司PGZ将联合开发一种地对空导弹，以增强波兰防空系统的中程作战能力。

MBDA公司在一份声明中表示，双方已签署意向书，将基于英国通用防空模块化导弹（CAMM）研发一款中程低成本拦截导弹。该公司发言人告诉《防务新闻》，该研发项目将持续多年。

在英国和波兰寻求深化防务关系之际，这项协议得以达成。英国国防采购大臣詹姆斯·卡特里奇本周访问了波兰最大的防务展。今年4月，两国宣布了一项价值19亿英镑（约合24亿美元）的合同，英国将向波兰提供发射装置和CAMM短程导弹——这是两国之间迄今为止最大的国防出口合同。

MBDA公司表示，计划中的CAMM-MR导弹源于与波兰国防部签订的合同。英国和波兰曾在10月份表示，双方正在探讨在研发地对空远程导弹方面开展合作的可能性。

MBDA首席执行官埃里克·贝朗热在声明中表示：“此次联合研发新型导弹对我们两家公司以及欧洲防务解决方案的发展而言，都是具有历史意义的一步。”

波兰正斥巨资升级其防空能力。周二，波兰政府签署协议，采购48套“爱国者”M903导弹发射装置、12部低层防空反导雷达以及数百枚“爱国者”先进能力-3型导弹增强型导弹。此外，波兰还签署了一份合同，采购超过1000枚射程超过40公里（25英里）的CAMM-ER导弹，以及138套“纳雷夫”短程防空系统发射装置。

MBDA公司表示，MBDA和PGZ公司已达成一项工业协议，双方将合作开发CAMM-MR导弹，但目前该协议尚无具体金额。双方将利用波兰为“纳雷夫”导弹项目建立的能力，在当地生产导弹。

PGZ 领导人塞巴斯蒂安·赫瓦莱克在声明中表示，目标是使这种新型导弹成为波兰和英国军队的通用弹药，并拥有双重生产来源。

在根据波兰的需求进行初步研究并缩小选择范围后，MBDA公司仍有多种导弹设计方案。CAMM-MR导弹的设计用途包括陆基导弹和波兰正在建造的“米奇尼克”级护卫舰，该级护卫舰基于英国国防公司巴布科克（Babcock）的“箭头140”（Arrowhead 140）导弹设计。

鲁迪·鲁伊滕贝格是《防务新闻》的欧洲记者。他的职业生涯始于彭博新闻社，拥有报道科技、大宗商品市场和政治方面的经验。