WARSAW, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Poland signed a contract on Monday to build 48 M903 launchers for the U.S.-designed Patriot air defense systems, said Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz.
According to the deal worth 1.23 billion U.S. dollars, the launchers, set to be built at Stalowa Wola steelworks in Poland, are expected to be delivered to the Polish army between 2027 and 2029.
On Friday, Poland inked a deal with the United States to buy hundreds of AIM-120C AMRAAM air-to-air missiles.
Last month, the Polish Defense Ministry announced that the United States would lend Poland 2 billion dollars to fund the purchase of American air and missile defense systems.
Poland has increased its defense spending to around 4 percent of its GDP this year, the highest among NATO countries. ■