Last October, the US Congress approved a potential sale of 40 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSMs) to Poland. Also included in the package are Test Instrumentation Kits, Flight Termination Systems, and a pair of Flight Certification Test Vehicles, all for the relatively high price of $500 million.
At the time, the Polish Ministry of Defence indicated that the package was too expensive.
"That high figure is unacceptable high for us," MOD spokesperson Jacek Sonta told IHS Jane at the time. "Our representatives are negotiating that price right now."
Nearly one year later, Lockheed Martin has received a Foreign Military Sales contract to deliver the package to Poland. The cost? $500 million.
The contract will allow the Polish Air Force to equip its fleet of F-16 with the missiles, greatly expanding Warsaw’s long-range strike capabilities.
The deal makes Poland the third nation to receive US-made JASSMs, after Australia and Finland.
The transaction comes one day after the commander of US Air Forces in Europe admitted his concerns about the Russian military threatening US air superiority.
"Not only with respect to the aircraft that they’re producing, but the more alarming thing is their ability to create anti-access/area denied [zones] that are very well defended," Gen. Frank Gorenc said during the Air Force Association Air and Space Conference.
"The advantage that we had from the air I can honestly say is shrinking," he added.
Theoretically, improving Poland’s strike capabilities could be an attempt to alleviate those concerns.
While the Polish military may view the purchase as necessary to shore up the country’s defenses, the deal has faced heavy criticism. Polish tabloid Fakt accused JASSM deal of defrauding Polish taxpayers. The paper also accused the US of overcharging.
According to Fakt, the previous missile sale to Finland included 70 JASSM. That deal only cost the Finnish government $255 million, half the cost of the Polish agreement for roughly twice as many missiles.
