US approves $780m sale of Javelin missiles to Poland as Russia threat grows

The United States State Department has announced it has approved the sale of Javelin Missile Systems and related logistical equipment to Poland for an estimated $780m, as the key NATO front-line state bolsters its defences with the threat of Russian incursions growing.

Announcing the potential sale in a statement on Thursday, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said the Polish government had requested to buy 2,506 FGM-148F Javelin missiles and 253 Javelin Lightweight Command Launch Units.

Javelins are a portable, shoulder-fired missile system used to target tanks, lighter armoured vehicles, bunkers, and low-flying aircraft.

In addition, Poland will receive non-MDE (Major Defense Equipment) as part of the package, including missile simulation rounds, battery coolant units, toolkits, spares support, as well as training and US government and contractor technical assistance.

The US agency said it had already notified Congress of the potential sale for approval.

“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by improving the security of a NATO Ally that is a force for political and economic stability in Europe,” the DSCA said in a statement.

“The proposed sale will improve Poland’s capability to meet current and future threats by upgrading its existing legacy Command Launch Units and increasing its defence inventory, thereby reinforcing its capability to protect Polish sovereign territory and improving its ability to meet NATO requirements,” it added.

Also on Thursday, Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said Poland would sign a cooperation agreement with Kyiv for Ukraine’s military to train Polish soldiers and engineers in drone defence methods.

The announcement came just a week after Polish and NATO forces shot down more than 20 drones violating the country’s airspace during a Russian aerial attack on neighbouring Ukraine.

The September 10 incident was the first time that Polish and NATO forces had become engaged in the conflict, with Ukraine claiming that Moscow was using drone incursions to test the West’s willingness to respond to aggression.

Russia said its forces had not intended to hit Polish targets and had been attacking Ukraine at the time of the aerial incursion.

Denmark also announced this week that it will acquire long-range, high-precision weapons for the first time to deter Russia, in what Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen described as a “paradigm shift in Danish defence policy”.

Frederiksen said Russia constitutes a threat to Denmark for “years to come”, even if there is no imminent danger of an attack.

“With these weapons, the defence forces will be able to hit targets at long range and, for example, neutralise enemy missile threats,” she said.

Ukraine, meanwhile, is hoping to soon receive $3.5-3.6bn worth of weapons through the Priority Ukraine Requirements List initiative, a new mechanism allowing NATO states to finance the transfer of US-sourced weapons and technology to Kyiv.