Boom continues for Polish arms producers
The increased demand from Poland's military - which is active in both Afghanistan and Iraq - has given a boost to domestic producers of munitions, armored vehicles, missile launchers and radar components, as well as manufacturers of transport planes and helicopters. For example, Zakłady Metalowe MESKO has signed a contract for zł.224 million to supply munitions, while Wojskowe Zakłady Mechaniczne expects to receive some zł.594 million for an order of 90 Rosomak armored vehicles.
According to Poland's Defense Minister Bogdan Klich, Poland plans to spend zł.60 billion between now and 2018 to modernize its army.
"We want to launch several new programs to modernize the armed forces in the long term," Klich told reporters at the opening of an arms exhibition in Kielce. He added that he wanted to develop Polish surface-to-air missiles to complement the part of the US missile shield, which should be installed in Poland by 2012.
According to Andrzej Kiński, a military expert and editor-in-chief of monthly Modern Military Technology (Nowa Technika Wojskowa), the Polish arms market has flourished since 2004, when implementation of NATO's plans for modernizing the Polish army began. Expenditures on the army have also increased along with Poland's GDP growth, he noted.
