Poland To Modernize SA-3 SAM Systems

Poland’s Ministry of Defense has announced plans to modernize six squadrons of S-125 SC Newa medium-range missile systems.

“We expect that the modernization of these missile systems will allow us to extend their service life by a further 10 to 12 years,” Deputy Defense Minister Czeslaw Piatas said in a statement. The ministry also aims to acquire new short-range missile systems, Piatas said.

The Newa program, included in the ministry’s recently published list of planned arms purchases of strategic importance, is estimated to cost at least 300 million zloty ($98 million), according to the local weekly Polska Zbrojna.

Other missile defense programs by the Polish military include the purchase of Poprad self-propelled air-defense systems fitted with Grom surface-to-air missiles.

The Newa contract will most likely be awarded to Wojskowe Zaklady Elektroniczne (WZE), manufacturer of radio location systems. In late February, the negotiations between the ministry and WZE to upgrade the first missile squadron were canceled after the term of the company’s deposit expired, but talks are expected to resume shortly.

Based in Zielonka, Poland, WZE is part of the Wojskowe Przedsiebiorstwa Remontowo-Produkcyjne, the country’s group of 11 state-owned defense companies.

The Soviet-built S-125 SC Newa has a range of between 20 and 100 kilometers


Source: 06 March 2012 - DEFENS NEWS

Photo: Poland SA-3 GOA (S-125 SC Newa) SAM (Photo by armyrecognition.com)

(6.03.2012)