Poland and France Cooperate on Cruise Missiles and Navy
Deputy Minister of National Defence Paweł Bejda continues his visits to countries that have offered their submarines for Poland’s “Orka” programme. This time his destination was France, specifically Toulon.
France became the next stop in the Ministry’s process of selecting a company to provide the Polish Navy with modern submarines. During the visit, the minister met, among others, with the Director General of the DGA Agency, Emmanuel Chiva.
In addition to examining Naval Group’s offer for the Navy, Minister Bejda signed a letter of intent on Polish-French cooperation in the field of land-based cruise missiles.
In practice, this could mean participation in the ELSA programme, of which Poland and France are members, under which Paris can offer, among other things, cruise missiles with a range of over 1,000 km, already tested on naval vessels. The talks also covered a possible transfer of technology.
Strong Competition
Minister Paweł Bejda’s visit to France is part of the long-standing process to select a submarine for the Polish Navy. In June, South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean presented Polish media representatives with its offer for the KSS III submarine. In addition to the Republic of Korea, offers have also been presented by Sweden’s Saab, Germany’s TKMS, Italy’s Fincantieri, and Spain’s Navantia.
