BRUSSELS, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Poland will host a European maintenance center for missiles used in Patriot air defense systems, Polish Deputy Defense Minister Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka announced on Tuesday.
Speaking at a press conference at NATO's headquarters in Brussels, Sobkowiak-Czarnecka said the facility will be the only center of its kind outside the United States.
She estimated investment in the facility, where the PAC-3 interceptor missiles will be manufactured by Lockheed Martin, at around 1 billion zlotys (about 253.4 million U.S. dollars).
In a post on social media platform X, Sobkowiak-Czarnecka said Poland had competed with Germany, the Netherlands and Norway to secure the investment.
In September, Sobkowiak-Czarnecka said PAC-3 missiles requiring maintenance currently had to be sent to the United States, with the entire process taking more than a year. Establishing a facility in Poland could reduce the turnaround time to a few months, she said, adding that the maintenance center could be a first step toward producing PAC-3 missiles in Poland. ■