(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Poland said Tuesday it will hold exclusive talks with the US government on a multi-billion-euro Patriot missile contract and test Airbus helicopters in an unprecedented military upgrade amid heightened tensions with neighbouring Russia.
President Bronislaw Komorowski said the decision for the massive defence revamp is being made at a time of "deterioration of security due to the Russian-Ukraine conflict".
He added that negotiations with Washington will begin in May on the purchase of the Patriot system made by Raytheon.
The Eurosam consortium including MBDA France, MBDA Italy and France's Thales Group had been the other party in the running for the deal valued at an estimated 5 billion euros ($5.4 billion).
Poland's defence ministry said it wanted to acquire eight missile batteries by 2025, with two of them to be delivered within three years of signing a deal.
"The US offer is regarded as the most advantageous from the viewpoint of Polish security and fulfilling alliance (NATO) obligations," the ministry said.
"Patriot systems are used in over a dozen countries," it added.
While picking the US for its missiles, Poland went with the Europeans for choppers, announcing that it would test Airbus-made multi-purpose helicopters to replace its Soviet-era equipment.
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