Poland signed an agreement with the United States to supply of an airspace reconnaissance system. The deal is worth 960 million dollars and with the equipment, Warsaw will monitor its northeastern borders, Reuters and News.bg report.
"Poland will be the second country in the world to use this system," Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamis pointed out.
"The agreement defines our security, it is another act of cooperation between Poland and the USA," he added.
This year, Poland increased defense spending to about 4 percent of gross domestic product in an effort to bolster its armed forces after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It aims to invest 10 billion zlotys ($2.6 billion) in protecting its eastern border.
According to the contract, Poland will receive four aerostats, or moored balloons, which will be stationed at posts along the country's eastern and northeastern borders and will support the air defense and coastal surveillance systems.
The contract also includes related logistics and program support. The system will be delivered and fully operational by 2027, Kosignak-Kamish said.
The head of the Polish Armaments Agency, General Artur Kuptel, explained earlier this month that the radars attached to the tethered balloons will monitor the skies over Ukraine, Belarus and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad from Polish airspace.
They have the ability to detect a wide range of objects, such as missiles, aircraft, drones, etc. in a range of over 300 km.
In February, the U.S. State Department approved the possible sale of airspace and surface reconnaissance radar systems and related logistics and program support elements.