WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. State Department has approved a possible $15 billion dollar sale of an Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) Battle Command System (IBCS) and related equipment to Poland as it upgrades its air defenses, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.
The sale comes as European interest in U.S. weaponry increases with demand centered around supplies like munitions, air defenses, communications equipment, shoulder-fired Javelin missiles and drones which have proven critical to Ukraine’s war efforts.
The package would include 48 Patriot launch stations and 644 Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC) 3 Missile Segment Enhanced (MSE) interceptor missiles, network links, sensors, support equipment, spares and technical support, the Pentagon said.
The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of the possible sale on Wednesday.
Despite approval by the State Department, the notification does not indicate that a contract has been signed or that negotiations have concluded.
The Pentagon said Raytheon Corp and Lockheed Martin were the prime contractor for the weapons.
(Reporting by Rami Ayyub and Mike Stone in Washington; Editing by Ismail Shakil and Cynthia Osterman)
