The two satellites will strengthen the Polish Army’s reconnaissance capabilities to detect potential threats.
The Polish Ministry of National Defence (MND) has announced signing a contract with France to procure two military observation satellites for its armed forces.
The deal was finalised during French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s visit to Warsaw on 27 December, where he met Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister Mariusz Błaszczak.
The two officials jointly approved the signing of a contract between the Polish Armament Agency and the European defence company Airbus and its French division.
As part of the contract, Airbus will provide two reconnaissance satellites for the Polish Army, along with a receiving station in Poland.
Lecornu said: “Our signing of this agreement will significantly contribute to increasing the capabilities of the Polish Army in recognising the situation on the battlefield.”
“This contract is proof of the deep ties that unite France and Poland in the field of defence. This represents 500 jobs in France for five years,” Lecornu tweeted.
The Polish MND noted that the contract will allow the Polish forces to access the satellite imageries for strengthening their reconnaissance capabilities.
The deal will further boost the Polish Armed Forces’ capabilities to gather reconnaissance data, with an accuracy of nearly 30cm, utilising the observation satellites operating as part of the French-Polish constellation.
With satellites operating within the two nations’ constellation, the forces will be able to obtain images of a much larger area of the Earth, in comparison to a single nation’s constellation.
Błaszczak said: “This is an extremely important capability and ability to complement everything related to deterrence and early warning capabilities. Both in military and civilian dimension.”
“Our agreement concerns the acquisition of two satellites for the Polish Army, which we will have under Polish colours until 2027.”
Source: www.army-technology.com
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