US manufacturers eye Javelin anti-tank missile production in Poland

WARSAW, Poland — Poland’s state-run defense group PGZ has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Javelin Joint Venture (JJV), a partnership between Lockheed Martin and RTX, formerly known as Raytheon Technologies, to jointly produce Javelin anti-tank weapons.

“Together with PGZ, we are exploring a number of opportunities to leverage the resident skills and expertise of Polish industry for Javelin co-production,” Andy Amaro, the president of the JJV and RTX’s Javelin program director, was quoted in a statement.

The deal was inked on the second day of this year’s MSPO defense industry show. The event runs Sept. 5-8 in Kielce.

PGZ said in a statement that the team-up with U.S. industry players will allow the partners “to evaluate the possibility to set up a final assembly plant and produce components in Poland.”

JJV representatives have also submitted an offer to the Polish group to have parts of Javelin weapons produced at PGZ’s subsidiary Mesko, according to the statement.

Poland’s and Ukraine’s militaries also both use the Javelin, a weapon celebrated on social media for its effectiveness against Russian armor.

Mesko has played a key role in Poland’s efforts to arm its neighbor Ukraine against the invading Russian forces. Located in Skarżysko-Kamienna, in the country’s central part, Mesko is the largest producer of ammunition and rockets in the Polish market. Among others, the defense factory has manufactured its flagship Piorun (Thunderbolt) short-range man-portable air defense (MANPAD) systems and ammo for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The war in Ukraine has spurred additional orders for Mesko’s products from the Polish Army, but also other allies from the region. In September 2022, Estonia’s Centre for Defence Investment ordered Pioruns for the nation’s military, purchasing 100 launchers and 300 missiles.

The Piorun can hit targets at an altitude of up to 4 kilometers (2.5 miles), and is enabled with a range of up to 6.5 kilometers (4 miles), according to its producer.

Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.

波兰华沙——波兰国营国防集团PGZ与洛克希德·马丁公司和RTX公司（前身为雷神技术公司）的合资企业——标枪合资企业（JJV）签署了一份谅解备忘录，共同生产标枪反坦克武器。

“我们正与 PGZ 一起探索多种机会，以利用波兰工业界的现有技能和专业知识进行标枪联合制作，”JJV 总裁兼 RTX 标枪项目总监 Andy Amaro 在一份声明中表示。

该协议是在今年MSPO防务工业展的第二天签署的。展会于9月5日至8日在凯尔采举行。

PGZ在一份声明中表示，与美国工业界人士的合作将使合作伙伴“能够评估在波兰建立总装厂并生产零部件的可能性”。

声明称，JJV 代表还向波兰集团提交了一份提议，希望由 PGZ 的子公司 Mesko 生产标枪导弹的部分零件。

波兰和乌克兰军队也都使用标枪导弹，这种武器因其对俄制装甲车辆的有效性而在社交媒体上广受赞誉。

梅斯科在波兰武装邻国乌克兰对抗俄罗斯入侵的行动中发挥了关键作用。梅斯科位于波兰中部的斯卡日斯科-卡缅纳，是波兰市场上最大的弹药和火箭生产商。这家国防工厂曾为乌克兰武装部队生产其旗舰产品“雷霆”（Piorun）短程便携式防空导弹系统（MANPADS）及其弹药。

乌克兰战争促使波兰军队以及该地区的其他盟国增加了对梅斯科产品的订单。2022年9月，爱沙尼亚国防投资中心为该国军队订购了100套“皮奥伦”火箭炮发射装置和300枚导弹。

据其生产商称，Piorun 可以击中高达 4 公里（2.5 英里）的目标，射程可达 6.5 公里（4 英里）。

Jaroslaw Adamowski 是《防务新闻》驻波兰记者。