By Necva Tastan Sevinc
ISTANBUL (AA)— Poland will build three new ammunition factories in cooperation with British defense giant BAE Systems under a €560 million (approximately $616 million) project, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on Friday.
Speaking at the Dezamet arms plant in Nowa Deba, southern Poland, Tusk said the partnership would provide Poland with access to “state-of-the-art technology” and allow the country to “dramatically increase the production of 155 mm rounds,” a type of heavy artillery shell in high demand by Ukraine and NATO allies.
“This cooperation is only part of a larger project... we should achieve an annual production level of approximately 130,000 rounds in Poland within two years,” he said, TVP World reported.
The investment, worth 2.4 billion zloty (approximately €560 million), comes as Warsaw allocates record funds to defense in its 2026 budget.
Tusk added that he would hold talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte earlier on Friday about strengthening security along the alliance’s eastern flank, following Russian drone incursions into Polish airspace earlier this week.
BAE Systems confirmed that it would license its automated production technology to the Polish state-owned defense group Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa under a 40-year strategic partnership.
The initial contract is valued at tens of millions of pounds, with further returns linked to long-term licensing fees.
Construction of the new facilities will begin later this year, with completion expected by late 2027 or early 2028, according to BAE.
Scott Jamieson, managing director of BAE’s Maritime & Land Defence Solutions, said the agreement reflected “a kind of new approach” to defense cooperation in Europe as “threats change by the week.”
He noted the company is pursuing similar licensing deals in other European countries.