Poland, a NATO member bordering Ukraine, is to buy tanks, howitzers and fighter planes from South Korea, the government said on Friday as Warsaw shores up its defenses.
“Next week, we are signing deals,” Polish Minister of National Defense Mariusz Blaszczak wrote on Twitter.
The deal includes 48 FA-50 light combat fighter jets, 180 K2 “Black Panther” tanks and an undefined number of K9 howitzers, the Web site wPolityce quoted Blaszczak as saying.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The first batch of howitzers and tanks are to arrive at the end of the year, and the planes are to arrive next year, he added, without providing further details about the contract.
“We are aware of Poland’s challenges raised by the war in Ukraine and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s aggressive policy... Our aim is to scare the aggressor and strengthen the Polish army as much as possible,” Blaszczak said.
“We support Ukraine because it is fighting for us, but we must also strengthen our own defense capabilities,” he added.
Earlier this month, Poland said it would buy 32 AW149 multi-role military helicopters worth 1.75 billion euros (US$1.8 billion) from Italian arms company Leonardo. It has also ordered 366 US Abrams tanks and surface-to-air missiles.
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