Poland has proposed hosting a joint production facility for Patriot air defense missiles involving the United States, Ukraine, and Poland, arguing that Polish territory would offer a safer location for the project.
According to the Polish Press Agency, as cited by Polsat News, Deputy Defense Minister Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka presented the proposal during talks in Washington this week with officials from the Pentagon and U.S. State Department.
The plan follows discussions over potentially manufacturing Patriot missiles inside Ukraine. Warsaw’s alternative would move production to Poland while retaining Ukrainian participation and American technology.
“The proposal I put forward today on behalf of Poland is aimed at taking into account certain concerns of the American side,” Sobkowiak-Czarnecka said.
She said trilateral cooperation would help ensure that production takes place in a secure location, while increasing supplies of a missile system that is in growing demand across Europe and elsewhere.
“This is a product that is actually needed all over the world,” she added. “That is why we propose to engage in such joint production.”
Sobkowiak-Czarnecka argued that Poland’s rapidly expanding defense industry, strategic position on NATO’s eastern flank, and growing purchases of American military equipment made it a natural location for both production and servicing.
Raytheon, a major U.S. defense contractor, has previously confirmed that talks are underway over licenses to manufacture Patriot missiles in Ukraine, according to Ukrainian news outlet UNIAN. The company said cooperation could involve several stages of the production chain, including individual components, final assembly, and maintenance.
Lockheed Martin has also acknowledged discussions with the U.S. government over how such a project could be implemented.
Tim Cahill, president of Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, said the proposal remained at an early stage and that the company would support whichever option was selected by the U.S. military and administration.
The Washington meetings also covered the future presence of American troops in Poland. The Polish government has adopted a resolution on funding a future base, while teams have reportedly been established at both the Pentagon and the Polish Defense Ministry to advance the project.
Sobkowiak-Czarnecka said the final decision on any increase in US troop numbers would rest with U.S. President Donald Trump.
