Poland is first foreigner to buy US Army’s new missile defense radar

WASHINGTON — Poland will be the first international customer for the U.S. Army’s new air and missile defense radar still in development, according to a Sept. 5 statement by manufacturer RTX.

Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak approved a letter of acceptance to buy 12 RTX-developed Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensors, or LTAMDS, along with 48 Patriot launchers, the statement noted.

These new radars will be integrated into Poland’s air and missile defense architecture , known as the Wisla program, which already consists of RTX’s Patriot air defense system and the Northrop Grumman-developed Integrated Battle Command System, or IBCS. The country reached an agreement with the U.S. in 2018 to buy the Patriot system with IBCS.

The U.S. Army is developing the new 360-degree radar for its own future Integrated Air and Missile Defense Systems that will replace the Patriot. The system will consist of IBCS — as the command-and-control system — plus the LTAMDS radar and a launcher.

Having obtained a waiver to do so, Poland was the first country, even ahead of the U.S. Army, to receive and field the IBCS system. The service approved IBCS to move into full-rate production in April 2023 just as Poland received its systems in country.

Poland plans to complete its system integration and checkout process in October with the first set of Patriot systems and IBCS.

Meanwhile, RTX has completed building the six LTAMDS radars under contract for the U.S. Army. Congress mandated that the service field an LTAMDS battalion of four sensors by December 2023.

The Army awarded RTX a contract to build LTAMDS prototypes in 2019. But program officials have made adjustments over the past few years in order to meet the congressional requirements because of integration challenges and supply chain delays caused by COVID-19 .

The Army has since made progress with the LTAMDS program, Brig. Gen. Frank Lozano, the service’s program executive officer for missiles and space, told Defense News last month. Contractor verification testing for the radars has gone well, he added, and developmental testing has begun.

The Army is providing its first four prototypes to the formation designated as the first unit equipped with a primary radar sector capability by December 2023, and will later add a secondary radar capability.

The Army plans to conduct an operational assessment in the first quarter of fiscal 2025 that will lead to an engineering and manufacturing development decision in FY25 — a preliminary step toward eventual serial production.

For Poland, LTAMDS will be a part of its second phase of the Wisla program.

“Poland’s expansion of its Wisla program will fortify the country’s security and defense against a range of air and missile threats,” Tom Laliberty, president of land and air defense systems at RTX, said in the statement.

Already nine Polish suppliers have contributed “systems elements and components” for the Patriot system as part of the first phase of the Wisla program, RTX noted in its statement. And, according to the company, opportunities to support LTAMDS in Polish industry will be available.

Five Polish industry partners, all members of the PGZ group, will receive technology, equipment and training to enable them to produce and maintain components of LTAMDS, according to the statement. “It is envisioned they will become part of the LTAMDS global supply chain.”

Jen Judson is an award-winning journalist covering land warfare for Defense News. She has also worked for Politico and Inside Defense. She holds a Master of Science degree in journalism from Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Kenyon College.

华盛顿——据制造商 RTX 9 月 5 日发表的声明称，波兰将成为美国陆军仍在研发中的新型防空和导弹防御雷达的首个国际客户。

声明指出，波兰国防部长马里乌什·布瓦什恰克批准了购买12套RTX公司开发的低层防空反导传感器（LTAMDS）以及48套爱国者导弹发射器的接受函。

这些新型雷达将整合到波兰的防空反导体系中，即维斯瓦河计划。该计划目前已包括RTX公司的“爱国者”防空系统和诺斯罗普·格鲁曼公司开发的集成作战指挥系统（IBCS）。波兰于2018年与美国达成协议，购买包含IBCS的“爱国者”系统。

美国陆军正在为其未来的综合防空反导系统（IBDS）研发新型360度雷达，该系统将取代“爱国者”导弹系统。该系统将由IBCS（作为指挥控制系统）、LTAMDS雷达和发射装置组成。

波兰获得豁免后，成为首个接收并部署IBCS系统的国家，甚至早于美国陆军。就在波兰接收其系统的同时，美国陆军于2023年4月批准IBCS系统全面投产。

波兰计划在 10 月份完成系统集成和检修流程，届时将交付第一批 Patriot 系统和 IBCS。

与此同时，RTX公司已完成为美国陆军建造六部LTAMDS雷达的合同。国会要求陆军在2023年12月前部署一个由四部雷达组成的LTAMDS营。

2019 年，陆军授予 RTX 公司一份合同，建造 LTAMDS 原型机。但由于 COVID-19 造成的集成挑战和供应链延误，项目官员在过去几年中做出了一些调整，以满足国会的要求。

陆军导弹与航天项目执行官弗兰克·洛萨诺准将上个月告诉《防务新闻》，陆军的LTAMDS项目已经取得了进展。他补充说，承包商对雷达的验证测试进展顺利，研发测试已经开始。

陆军将于 2023 年 12 月前向被指定为首个配备主雷达扇区能力的部队提供首批四个原型机，之后还将增加辅助雷达能力。

陆军计划在 2025 财年第一季度进行作战评估，这将促成 2025 财年的工程和制造开发决策——这是最终批量生产的初步步骤。

对于波兰而言，LTAMDS 将成为其维斯瓦河计划第二阶段的一部分。

RTX陆空防御系统总裁汤姆·拉利伯蒂在声明中表示：“波兰扩大其维斯瓦计划将加强该国的安全和防御能力，以应对各种空中和导弹威胁。”

RTX公司在声明中指出，作为维斯瓦河计划第一阶段的一部分，已有九家波兰供应商为“爱国者”导弹系统提供了“系统元件和组件”。该公司还表示，未来波兰工业界将有机会参与LTAMDS项目。

声明称，五家波兰工业合作伙伴（均为PGZ集团成员）将获得技术、设备和培训，使其能够生产和维护LTAMDS的组件。“预计它们将成为LTAMDS全球供应链的一部分。”

珍·贾德森是一位屡获殊荣的记者，为《防务新闻》报道陆地战争。她也曾为《政治报》和《内幕防务》工作。她拥有波士顿大学新闻学硕士学位和凯尼恩学院文学学士学位。