WARSAW (REUTERS) - Poland signed the largest arms procurement deal in its history on Wednesday (March 28), agreeing with the United States to buy Raytheon Co's Patriot missile defence system for US$4.75 billion in a major step to modernise its forces against a bolder Russia.

"It is an extraordinary, historic moment; it is Poland's introduction into a whole new world of state-of-the-art technology, modern weaponry, and defensive means," President Andrzej Duda said during the signing ceremony.

NATO member Poland has accelerated efforts to overhaul its ageing weaponry following Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula in 2014 and the resurgence of Russian military and political assertiveness towards its neighbours.

Two-thirds of Polish weaponry dates from the 20th century Cold War era when the country was in the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact.

Russian officials were not immediately available to comment.

Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov told the state-run Sputnik news website in November that Patriot deployments were part of a US plot to surround Russia with missile defence systems "under the pretext of mythical threats to security".

The Patriot deal follows Monday's expulsion of more than 100 Russian diplomats by the United States and a score of other Western countries including Poland in response to a nerve toxin attack on a former Russian spy in Britain, the most sweeping action against Moscow since the heights of the Cold War.

This month, Russian President Vladimir Putin unveiled an array of new nuclear weapons, saying they could hit almost any point in the world and evade a US-built missile shield.

The Patriot deal came as a relief for Poland amid a rise in tension with Washington, its main NATO ally, over legislation that Warsaw introduced in January to impose jail terms for any suggestion of Poland's complicity in the Nazi Holocaust.

The United States says the bill subverts freedom of speech and Israeli officials say it amounts to Holocaust denial, an accusation that Poland's nationalist-minded government rejects.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said the Patriot agreement showed "solidarity and cooperation" with the United States and other NATO countries. "We, through our activities, our procurements, show that we want to feel an integral part of this most important military alliance," he said.

Wednesday's deal is for the delivery in 2022 of two Patriot system batteries manufactured by Raytheon, each coming with two fire units consisting of one sector AN/MPQ-65 radar and four M903 launchers.

Warsaw is negotiating with Washington to buy more Patriot systems, a new 360-degree radar and a low-cost interceptor missile as part of a second phase of military modernisation.

"We do expect that Poland will move pretty quickly with Phase II. They have a stated desire to complete that by the end of the year," Wes Kremer, president of Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems, told Reuters by telephone ahead of the signing.

Air defences are particularly crucial for Poland and neighbouring Baltic states Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia - former Soviet republics that are now NATO member states.

NATO planners say Russia is using its Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad as well as Crimea to pursue what is known as an "anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy", with surface-to-air missiles to block off NATO's air access, if needed, to the Baltic states, about a third of Poland and to the Black Sea.

Warsaw's decision may raise pressure on Washington to meet Baltic requests for stronger air defences. While the Baltics are seeking their own missile defences, the high cost for their small economies makes any quick purchases difficult.

Raytheon's Kremer said the current threat environment had increased demand for missile defence systems and US President Donald Trump's administration was working hard to accelerate sales of such weapons to allied countries.

"In general, they're more open to expediting and getting these deals worked," Kremer said.

Fourteen other countries, including six NATO members, have the Patriot missile systems. Romania agreed in November to buy Patriots and the US government has also approved the sale of the weapons system to Sweden.

Poland's deal, approved in November by the US State Department, envisaged a sale worth up to US$10.5 billion. But Warsaw has been able to bring the price down by opting for a less ambitious IBCS (Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System) and procuring some elements locally.

"We are getting to the front row of countries which will be able not only to cooperate and jointly carry out tasks with the United States and NATO, but will be also perceived on (NATO's) eastern flank as ...stronger than others," General Leszek Surawski, the Polish military's chief of staff, told reporters after the signing ceremony.</s>Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak and U.S. Ambassador to Poland Paul W. Jones attend the signing ceremony for a deal to buy Raytheon Co's Patriot missile defence system in Warsaw, Poland, March 28, 2018. Agencja Gazeta/Slawomir Kaminski/ via REUTERS
• Poland signed the largest arms procurement deal in its history on Wednesday.
• The Patriot deal came as a relief for Poland amid tension with the US.

WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland signed the largest arms procurement deal in its history on Wednesday, agreeing with the United States to buy Raytheon Co's Patriot missile defense system for $4.75 billion in a major step to modernize its forces against a bolder Russia.

"It is an extraordinary, historic moment; it is Poland's introduction into a whole new world of state-of-the-art technology, modern weaponry, and defensive means," President Andrzej Duda said during the signing ceremony.

NATO member Poland has accelerated efforts to overhaul its ageing weaponry following Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula in 2014. Two-thirds of Poland's weaponry dates from the Cold War era when it was in the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov told state-run Sputnik news website in November that Patriot deployments were part of a U.S. plot to surround Russia with missile defense systems "under the pretext of mythical threats to security".

The Patriot deal follows Monday's expulsion of more than 100 Russian diplomats by the United States and a score of other Western countries including Poland in response to a the poisoning of a Russian former spy in Britain.

This month, Russian President Vladimir Putin unveiled an array of new nuclear weapons, saying they could hit almost any point in the world and evade a U.S.-built missile shield.

The Patriot deal came as a relief for Poland amid tension with Washington over a law Warsaw introduced in January imposing jail terms for suggesting Poland was complicit in the Holocaust.

The United States says the bill subverts freedom of speech and Israeli officials say it amounts to Holocaust denial, an accusation that Poland's nationalist government rejects.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said the Patriot agreement showed "solidarity and cooperation" with the United States and other NATO countries.

Wednesday's deal is for the delivery in 2022 of two Patriot batteries manufactured by Raytheon, each with two fire units.

Warsaw is negotiating with Washington to buy more Patriots, a new 360-degree radar and a low-cost interceptor missile as part of a second phase of modernization.

"We do expect that Poland will move pretty quickly with Phase II. They have a stated desire to complete that by the end of the year," Wes Kremer, president of Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems, told Reuters by telephone.

Air defenses are particularly important for Poland and neighboring Baltic states Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

NATO planners say Russia is using its Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad as well as Crimea to pursue the capability to block off NATO's air access to the Baltic states, about a third of Poland and to the Black Sea.

Warsaw's decision may raise pressure on Washington to meet Baltic requests for stronger air defenses. While the Baltics are seeking their own missile defenses, the high cost for their small economies makes any quick purchases difficult.

Raytheon's Kremer said the current threat environment had increased demand for missile defense systems and the Donald Trump administration was working to accelerate sales to allies.

"In general, they're more open to expediting and getting these deals worked," Kremer said.

Fourteen other countries, including six NATO members, have the Patriot missile. Romania agreed in November to buy Patriots and the U.S. government has also approved sales to Sweden. Switzerland last week announced it was also looking at the Patriot among other systems in a competition expected to kick off later this year.

Raytheon hopes the Polish purchase could provide fresh momentum for its bid to supply a more modern Patriot system to Germany, which has not yet signed a contract for the rival MEADS system built by Lockheed Martin and European missile maker MBDA, three years after it picked MEADS over Patriot.

Kremer said changing course and expanding its existing Patriot systems would make it easier for Germany to work jointly with other Patriot users in NATO, although MEADS supporters say the system is intended to be able to integrate other components.

Poland's deal, approved in November by the U.S. State Department, envisaged a sale worth up to $10.5 billion. But Warsaw brought the price down by opting for a less ambitious command system and procuring some elements locally.

"We are getting to the front row of countries which will be able not only to cooperate and jointly carry out tasks with the United States and NATO, but will be also perceived on (NATO's) eastern flank as ... stronger than others," General Leszek Surawski, the Polish military's chief of staff, said after the signing ceremony.</s>Image copyright AFP/Getty Images Image caption The Patriot system is intended to defend against aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles

Poland has signed an agreement to buy the Patriot missile defence system from the US, in a move that is likely to anger Russia.

President Andrzej Duda said the "historic" $4.75bn (£3.4bn) deal gave Poland "state-of-the-art" defences.

It follows reports that Russia had permanently deployed nuclear-capable missile systems in its territory of Kaliningrad, which borders Poland.

Ties between Poland, a Nato member, and Russia remain strained.

Moscow's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 has prompted Warsaw to speed up its military modernisation.

Earlier this week, Poland was one of many countries that expelled Russian diplomats in response to a nerve agent attack in the UK on 4 March.

Moscow denies any involvement in poisoning former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in the southern English city of Salisbury.

So, what about the missile deal?

The largest weapons agreement in Polish history was signed at a ceremony in Warsaw on Wednesday.

Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said the Patriot missile defence system had "proven itself in numerous countries".

He added that his country was now "joining an elite group of states which have an efficient weapon that guarantees security".

Much of Poland's military equipment currently dates back to the era when communist Poland was in the Moscow-led Warsaw Pact, says the BBC's Adam Easton in Warsaw.

The first deliveries are expected in 2022.

This comes as the US is developing its controversial anti-missile shield in Europe.

In 2016, America activated a land-based missile defence station in Romania, and a similar base is being built in Poland.

Russia has repeatedly warned that the shield undermines its strategic nuclear deterrent.

What is Patriot?

It is an advanced surface-to-air missile system designed to defend against aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles.

The system, produced by US defence company Raytheon, is used by the US and a number of its Nato allies.</s>Poland has signed the largest military arms deal in its history, work 4.75 billion, in a bid to modernize its military hardware, citing the Russian annexation of Crimea as its reason.

With most of its current hardware dating back to the Cold War, they are in a rush to get some newer, more hip stuff to show not only Russia that they mean business, but also to the rest of Europe that they fully intend to invest their taxpayer’s money into American global interests to a greater degree than any other NATO member in the region. Reuters reports:

WARSAW (Reuters) – Poland signed the largest arms procurement deal in its history on Wednesday, agreeing with the United States to buy Raytheon Co’s (RTN.N) Patriot missile defense system for $4.75 billion in a major step to modernize its forces against a bolder Russia.

“It is an extraordinary, historic moment; it is Poland’s introduction into a whole new world of state-of-the-art technology, modern weaponry, and defensive means,” President Andrzej Duda said during the signing ceremony.

NATO member Poland has accelerated efforts to overhaul its ageing weaponry following Moscow’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula in 2014. Two-thirds of Poland’s weaponry dates from the Cold War era when it was in the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov told state-run Sputnik news website in November that Patriot deployments were part of a U.S. plot to surround Russia with missile defense systems “under the pretext of mythical threats to security”.

The Patriot deal follows Monday’s expulsion of more than 100 Russian diplomats by the United States and a score of other Western countries including Poland in response to a the poisoning of a Russian former spy in Britain.

This month, Russian President Vladimir Putin unveiled an array of new nuclear weapons, saying they could hit almost any point in the world and evade a U.S.-built missile shield.

The Patriot deal came as a relief for Poland amid tension with Washington over a law Warsaw introduced in January imposing jail terms for suggesting Poland was complicit in the Holocaust.

The United States says the bill subverts freedom of speech and Israeli officials say it amounts to Holocaust denial, an accusation that Poland’s nationalist government rejects.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said the Patriot agreement showed “solidarity and cooperation” with the United States and other NATO countries.

Wednesday’s deal is for the delivery in 2022 of two Patriot batteries manufactured by Raytheon, each with two fire units.

Warsaw is negotiating with Washington to buy more Patriots, a new 360-degree radar and a low-cost interceptor missile as part of a second phase of modernization.

“We do expect that Poland will move pretty quickly with Phase II. They have a stated desire to complete that by the end of the year,” Wes Kremer, president of Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems, told Reuters by telephone.

Air defenses are particularly important for Poland and neighboring Baltic states Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

NATO planners say Russia is using its Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad as well as Crimea to pursue the capability to block off NATO’s air access to the Baltic states, about a third of Poland and to the Black Sea.

Warsaw’s decision may raise pressure on Washington to meet Baltic requests for stronger air defenses. While the Baltics are seeking their own missile defenses, the high cost for their small economies makes any quick purchases difficult.

Raytheon’s Kremer said the current threat environment had increased demand for missile defense systems and the Donald Trump administration was working to accelerate sales to allies.

“In general, they’re more open to expediting and getting these deals worked,” Kremer said.

Fourteen other countries, including six NATO members, have the Patriot missile. Romania agreed in November to buy Patriots and the U.S. government has also approved sales to Sweden. Switzerland last week announced it was also looking at the Patriot among other systems in a competition expected to kick off later this year.

Raytheon hopes the Polish purchase could provide fresh momentum for its bid to supply a more modern Patriot system to Germany, which has not yet signed a contract for the rival MEADS system built by Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) and European missile maker MBDA, three years after it picked MEADS over Patriot.

Kremer said changing course and expanding its existing Patriot systems would make it easier for Germany to work jointly with other Patriot users in NATO, although MEADS supporters say the system is intended to be able to integrate other components.

Poland’s deal, approved in November by the U.S. State Department, envisaged a sale worth up to $10.5 billion. But Warsaw brought the price down by opting for a less ambitious command system and procuring some elements locally.

“We are getting to the front row of countries which will be able not only to cooperate and jointly carry out tasks with the United States and NATO, but will be also perceived on (NATO’s) eastern flank as … stronger than others,” General Leszek Surawski, the Polish military’s chief of staff, said after the signing ceremony.</s>Poland’s government signed a contract with the U.S. for the first phase of a Patriot missile defense system to soothe the NATO member’s concerns over Russia’s assertive stance in the region.

According to the deal, valued at $4.75 billion, Patriot producer Raytheon Co. will in 2022 start deliveries of equipment, including PAC-3 MSE rockets and the IBCS communication system. Poland will seek to buy more batteries and plans to start talks with the U.S. on the next phase of the system next month.

“It’s a historic moment,” President Andrzej Duda said. “We’re fitting Polish army with the most advanced defense system in the world.”

Warsaw is concerned over Russia’s increasingly assertive policy toward eastern Europe, whose countries used to be under Kremlin control during Soviet times but have since mostly joined the European Union as well as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Poland, which shares a border with a Russian enclave, had U.S. troops stationed on its territory and sees the missile system as a step toward strengthening the military alliance’s eastern flank.

On March 23, Poland signed two offset deals with Raytheon and Lockheed Martin Corp. to boost involvement of Polish companies in return for buying the U.S. defense technology. The 10-year service deal with Raytheon is worth 224.1 million zloty and a deal with Lockheed Martin for servicing missile installations and maintenance of F-16 planes is worth 724.8 million zloty, according to a statement by the Polish Defense Ministry.</s>WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland signed the largest arms procurement deal in its history on Wednesday, agreeing with the United States to buy Raytheon Co's <RTN.N> Patriot missile defense system for $4.75 billion in a major step to modernize its forces against a bolder Russia.

"It is an extraordinary, historic moment; it is Poland's introduction into a whole new world of state-of-the-art technology, modern weaponry, and defensive means," President Andrzej Duda said during the signing ceremony.

NATO member Poland has accelerated efforts to overhaul its ageing weaponry following Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula in 2014. Two-thirds of Poland's weaponry dates from the Cold War era when it was in the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov told state-run Sputnik news website in November that Patriot deployments were part of a U.S. plot to surround Russia with missile defense systems "under the pretext of mythical threats to security".

The Patriot deal follows Monday's expulsion of more than 100 Russian diplomats by the United States and a score of other Western countries including Poland in response to a the poisoning of a Russian former spy in Britain.

This month, Russian President Vladimir Putin unveiled an array of new nuclear weapons, saying they could hit almost any point in the world and evade a U.S.-built missile shield.

The Patriot deal came as a relief for Poland amid tension with Washington over a law Warsaw introduced in January imposing jail terms for suggesting Poland was complicit in the Holocaust.

The United States says the bill subverts freedom of speech and Israeli officials say it amounts to Holocaust denial, an accusation that Poland's nationalist government rejects.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said the Patriot agreement showed "solidarity and cooperation" with the United States and other NATO countries.

Wednesday's deal is for the delivery in 2022 of two Patriot batteries manufactured by Raytheon, each with two fire units.

Warsaw is negotiating with Washington to buy more Patriots, a new 360-degree radar and a low-cost interceptor missile as part of a second phase of modernization.

"We do expect that Poland will move pretty quickly with Phase II. They have a stated desire to complete that by the end of the year," Wes Kremer, president of Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems, told Reuters by telephone.

Air defenses are particularly important for Poland and neighboring Baltic states Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

NATO planners say Russia is using its Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad as well as Crimea to pursue the capability to block off NATO's air access to the Baltic states, about a third of Poland and to the Black Sea.

Warsaw's decision may raise pressure on Washington to meet Baltic requests for stronger air defenses. While the Baltics are seeking their own missile defenses, the high cost for their small economies makes any quick purchases difficult.

Raytheon's Kremer said the current threat environment had increased demand for missile defense systems and the Donald Trump administration was working to accelerate sales to allies.

"In general, they're more open to expediting and getting these deals worked," Kremer said.

Fourteen other countries, including six NATO members, have the Patriot missile. Romania agreed in November to buy Patriots and the U.S. government has also approved sales to Sweden. Switzerland last week announced it was also looking at the Patriot among other systems in a competition expected to kick off later this year.

Raytheon hopes the Polish purchase could provide fresh momentum for its bid to supply a more modern Patriot system to Germany, which has not yet signed a contract for the rival MEADS system built by Lockheed Martin <LMT.N> and European missile maker MBDA, three years after it picked MEADS over Patriot.

Kremer said changing course and expanding its existing Patriot systems would make it easier for Germany to work jointly with other Patriot users in NATO, although MEADS supporters say the system is intended to be able to integrate other components.

Poland's deal, approved in November by the U.S. State Department, envisaged a sale worth up to $10.5 billion. But Warsaw brought the price down by opting for a less ambitious command system and procuring some elements locally.

"We are getting to the front row of countries which will be able not only to cooperate and jointly carry out tasks with the United States and NATO, but will be also perceived on (NATO's) eastern flank as ... stronger than others," General Leszek Surawski, the Polish military's chief of staff, said after the signing ceremony.</s>Polish President Andrzej Duda signed a $4.75 deal with the US to face the Russian threat

The nation started to revamp its armed forces when Moscow annexed the Crimean peninsula in Ukraine in 2014, given that the majority of Poland’s weaponry dates back to the Cold War.

The deal, which is worth $4.75 billion (£3.38 billion), has been hailed as an “extraordinary, historic moment” by Polish President Andrzej Duda.

He said: “This moment ushers Poland into a new world of ultra-modern technology and weaponry.

“This is a new chapter in the history of the Polish army, a huge step forward for the entire Polish army.

“It is a lot of money but we know, also from our historical experience, that security has no price.”</s>Poland has signed the largest military arms deal in its history, work 4.75 billion, in a bid to modernize its military hardware, citing the Russian annexation of Crimea as its reason.

With most of its current hardware dating back to the Cold War, they are in a rush to get some newer, more hip stuff to show not only Russia that they mean business, but also to the rest of Europe that they fully intend to invest their taxpayer’s money into American global interests to a greater degree than any other NATO member in the region. Reuters reports:

WARSAW (Reuters) – Poland signed the largest arms procurement deal in its history on Wednesday, agreeing with the United States to buy Raytheon Co’s (RTN.N) Patriot missile defense system for $4.75 billion in a major step to modernize its forces against a bolder Russia.

“It is an extraordinary, historic moment; it is Poland’s introduction into a whole new world of state-of-the-art technology, modern weaponry, and defensive means,” President Andrzej Duda said during the signing ceremony.

NATO member Poland has accelerated efforts to overhaul its ageing weaponry following Moscow’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula in 2014. Two-thirds of Poland’s weaponry dates from the Cold War era when it was in the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov told state-run Sputnik news website in November that Patriot deployments were part of a U.S. plot to surround Russia with missile defense systems “under the pretext of mythical threats to security”.

The Patriot deal follows Monday’s expulsion of more than 100 Russian diplomats by the United States and a score of other Western countries including Poland in response to a the poisoning of a Russian former spy in Britain.

This month, Russian President Vladimir Putin unveiled an array of new nuclear weapons, saying they could hit almost any point in the world and evade a U.S.-built missile shield.

The Patriot deal came as a relief for Poland amid tension with Washington over a law Warsaw introduced in January imposing jail terms for suggesting Poland was complicit in the Holocaust.

The United States says the bill subverts freedom of speech and Israeli officials say it amounts to Holocaust denial, an accusation that Poland’s nationalist government rejects.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said the Patriot agreement showed “solidarity and cooperation” with the United States and other NATO countries.

Wednesday’s deal is for the delivery in 2022 of two Patriot batteries manufactured by Raytheon, each with two fire units.

Warsaw is negotiating with Washington to buy more Patriots, a new 360-degree radar and a low-cost interceptor missile as part of a second phase of modernization.

“We do expect that Poland will move pretty quickly with Phase II. They have a stated desire to complete that by the end of the year,” Wes Kremer, president of Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems, told Reuters by telephone.

Air defenses are particularly important for Poland and neighboring Baltic states Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

NATO planners say Russia is using its Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad as well as Crimea to pursue the capability to block off NATO’s air access to the Baltic states, about a third of Poland and to the Black Sea.

Warsaw’s decision may raise pressure on Washington to meet Baltic requests for stronger air defenses. While the Baltics are seeking their own missile defenses, the high cost for their small economies makes any quick purchases difficult.

Raytheon’s Kremer said the current threat environment had increased demand for missile defense systems and the Donald Trump administration was working to accelerate sales to allies.

“In general, they’re more open to expediting and getting these deals worked,” Kremer said.

Fourteen other countries, including six NATO members, have the Patriot missile. Romania agreed in November to buy Patriots and the U.S. government has also approved sales to Sweden. Switzerland last week announced it was also looking at the Patriot among other systems in a competition expected to kick off later this year.

Raytheon hopes the Polish purchase could provide fresh momentum for its bid to supply a more modern Patriot system to Germany, which has not yet signed a contract for the rival MEADS system built by Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) and European missile maker MBDA, three years after it picked MEADS over Patriot.

Kremer said changing course and expanding its existing Patriot systems would make it easier for Germany to work jointly with other Patriot users in NATO, although MEADS supporters say the system is intended to be able to integrate other components.

Poland’s deal, approved in November by the U.S. State Department, envisaged a sale worth up to $10.5 billion. But Warsaw brought the price down by opting for a less ambitious command system and procuring some elements locally.

“We are getting to the front row of countries which will be able not only to cooperate and jointly carry out tasks with the United States and NATO, but will be also perceived on (NATO’s) eastern flank as … stronger than others,” General Leszek Surawski, the Polish military’s chief of staff, said after the signing ceremony.</s>Polish President Andrzej Duda signed a $4.75 deal with the US to face the Russian threat

The nation started to revamp its armed forces when Moscow annexed the Crimean peninsula in Ukraine in 2014, given that the majority of Poland’s weaponry dates back to the Cold War.

The deal, which is worth $4.75 billion (£3.38 billion), has been hailed as an “extraordinary, historic moment” by Polish President Andrzej Duda.

He said: “This moment ushers Poland into a new world of ultra-modern technology and weaponry.

“This is a new chapter in the history of the Polish army, a huge step forward for the entire Polish army.

“It is a lot of money but we know, also from our historical experience, that security has no price.”</s>WARSAW, Poland -- Poland signed a $4.75 billion deal with the United States Wednesday to buy air defense Patriot missile systems as it seeks to bolster its defenses against a resurgent Russia. President Andrzej Duda described the deal for the state-of-the-art anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems as "historic" for his country and its armed forces.

"It's a lot of money, but we also know from our historical experience that security has no price," Duda said.

The defense deal is Poland's largest in almost 30 years. It comes as tensions soar between Moscow and the West over a nerve agent attack in Britain and Russia's meddling in foreign politics -- including the 2016 U.S. presidential election -- Poland's Patriots purchase will be yet another sore point. Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov said last year that deployments of the Patriot system in Eastern Europe were part of a U.S. plan to surround Russia with missile defenses "under the pretext of mythical threats to security."

In February, President Vladimir Putin touted new weapons in Russia's nuclear arsenal, including a new intercontinental ballistic missile which he claimed could hit anywhere in the world, and evade U.S.-built missile defenses.
• None Did Saudis really shoot down missiles with Patriot defense system? 



The system, made by Raytheon Co., is compatible with technology used by NATO and U.S. troops based in Poland, Duda said. It includes 16 launchers, four radars and the latest fire control system.

Parts of the system will be made in Poland, a boost for the country's armaments industry.

U.S. Ambassador Paul Jones called the deal a milestone that brings the NATO member into a family of 15 countries that rely on the Patriot system for their airspace security.

"We are allies forever," Jones said in fluent Polish.

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has said the Patriot system will increase security in Poland and the surrounding region in an "unprecedented way."

On NATO's eastern flank, Poland is upgrading its defense systems and modernizing its military to reach the highest Western standards after Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak signed the document at an armaments plant in Warsaw.
Poland signs a deal with the United States to buy a US$4.75 billion Patriot missile system.