Britain has strengthened its military and industrial presence on NATO’s eastern flank with the opening of a new missile support facility in Poland, as London and Warsaw expand cooperation on air defence amid continuing concerns over the threat from Russia.
The new MBDA logistics and maintenance centre in Czosnów, near Warsaw, was formally opened by Britain’s Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard, alongside Polish Deputy Defence Minister Paweł Zalewski. British personnel are expected to work with their Polish counterparts at the site, which will provide maintenance, technical support and training for Poland’s expanding air-defence network.
The facility is closely linked to the PILICA+ programme, under which Poland is developing a layered short-range air-defence system incorporating British-designed Common Anti-Air Modular Missiles, or CAMMs.
By establishing maintenance capabilities inside Poland, Warsaw will be able to service important elements of the system domestically rather than relying entirely on facilities abroad. The move is also intended to improve readiness and shorten the time required to return equipment to operational service.
The British Government presented the opening as another contribution to the strengthening of NATO’s eastern defences at a time when Poland has emerged as one of the alliance’s most important military powers.
“Stronger Polish air defences means stronger NATO air defences,” Pollard said during his visit, arguing that cooperation between Britain and Poland was becoming increasingly significant as Europe faced its gravest security challenges in decades.
The Czosnów centre also illustrates the growing industrial dimension of the relationship between Warsaw and London.
Britain and Poland are already working together on the considerably larger NAREW air-defence programme, valued at more than £4 billion. The project is expected to provide Poland with more than 1,000 missiles and over 100 launchers while gradually establishing sovereign missile-production capabilities inside the country.
British defence company MBDA has said that more than 400 of its employees in the UK are involved in programmes supporting Polish defence requirements, with the cooperation sustaining work at sites including Bristol, Stevenage and Bolton.
Poland is also constructing three MIECZNIK frigates with substantial British involvement. Their design is derived from Babcock’s Arrowhead 140 platform, which also forms the basis of the Royal Navy’s Type 31 frigates. According to the British Ministry of Defence, the first of the Polish ships entered the water last month.
The latest developments follow the Security and Defence Partnership Treaty signed by Britain and Poland in May. The agreement commits the two countries to closer military cooperation, joint training, greater interoperability between their armed forces, defence-industrial cooperation and the development of future military technologies.
Under projects announced alongside the treaty, London and Warsaw also intend to deepen cooperation in missile development and production, potentially making the bilateral relationship one of the most significant defence-industrial partnerships in Europe.
Pollard’s visit coincides with the MSPO international defence exhibition in Kielce, one of the largest military-industry events in Central Europe. Thirty-eight British defence companies are participating in this year’s exhibition, which runs from 8 to 11 September.
For Britain, the expanding partnership offers an opportunity to reinforce its role in European security while generating orders and investment for its defence industry.
The opening of the Czosnów facility therefore represents more than an additional logistics centre. It is another indication that Britain and Poland are moving towards a long-term defence relationship centred on shared weapons programmes, industrial integration and the protection of NATO’s eastern flank.
Source: UK in Poland
Photo: X @ukinpoland
Tomasz Modrzejewski
