Four companies belonging to the Polish Armed Forces Group signed 8 implementing agreements with Lockheed Martin for offset commitments related to the second phase of the “Wisła” programme. Contracts with the American arms giant concluded during MSPO: PCO, Mesko, Military Aviation Plant No. 1 and Military Aviation Plant No. 2.
Offset agreement, otherwise a compensatory commitment, is simply a contract with a company from which the government buys advanced weapons. This paper obliges the company to transfer to entities designated by the Ministry of Defence (not only companies but besides technological and investigation institutions), cognition and know-how from an area in which the contracting authority peculiarly cares.
Ministry of Defence, deciding to buy under the second phase of the Vistula programme another six anti-aircraft and rocket batteries Patriot kit, together with the fresh IBCS command strategy and PAC-3 missiles, it reported that it expected manufacturers of these solutions (RTX – Patriot, Lockheed Martin PAC-3 rockets and Northrop Grumman – IBCS system) to transfer technology and cognition in the field of radiolocation, rocket drives, service and repair of F-16, F-15 and C-130 Hercules aircraft.
The framework offset agreement with Lockheed Martin and RTX was signed in August 2023 and with Northrop Grumman in February this year. The first paper provides for 13 offset commitments with a full value of over PLN billion, and the second – 8 commitments with a value of over PLN 300 million.
On the first day of the global Defence manufacture Salon The Polish Armoured Group and 4 companies belonging to the holding company – PCO SA from Warsaw, Mesko SA from Skarżyska-Kamienna, Military Aviation Plant No. 1 from Łódź and Military Aviation Plant No. 2 from Bydgoszcz – signed 8 executive agreements with Lockheed Martin for offset commitments included in the framework contract.
Three agreements were concluded with Lockheed Martin Military Aviation Plant No. 2. According to these agreements, the Bydgoszcz company will gain cognition and competence to service and repair aircraft F-16, F-15 and C-130 Hercules: cable beams and oxygen installations, and in aircraft C-130 besides chassis.
PGZ and PCO SA signed 2 contracts with Lockheed Martin. Based on them, the Hardware-in-the-Loop (HWIL) laboratory will be expanded in Zielonka. Mesko, on the another hand, initialled 2 agreements with Lockheed Martin, according to which the Americans will pass on cognition and technology to Poles regarding the Lomar – A strategy rocket engines (i.e. M142 Himars). The last of the executive agreements with the American company was concluded by Military Aviation Plants No. 1 from Lodz. Thanks to it, the company will receive the know-how essential for the production of launch containers of PAC-3 MSE rockets.
Brian Kubik, vice-president of PAC-3 programs at Lockheed Martin, assured that contracts were beneficial for both Polish and American companies. – utilizing our Polish partnerships, we are able to grow our supply chain and accelerate the transportation of PAC-3 MSE to meet the increasing global request – he stressed during the signing ceremony.
