Poland, a NATO member bordering Ukraine, will buy tanks, howitzers, and fighter planes from South Korea, the government said Friday as Warsaw shores up its defenses.
“Next week, we are signing deals,” Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak tweeted.
The deal includes 48 FA-50 light combat fighter jets, 180 K2 “Black Panther” tanks and an undefined number of K9 howitzers, Blaszczak said, quoted by wPolityce website.
The first batch of howitzers and tanks will arrive at the end of 2022, and the planes will come next year, he added, without providing further details about the contract.
“We are aware of Poland’s challenges raised by the war in Ukraine and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s aggressive policy… Our aim is to scare the aggressor and strengthen the Polish army as much as possible,” Blaszczak said.
“We support Ukraine because it is fighting for us, but we must also strengthen our own defense capabilities,” he added.
Earlier this month, Poland said it would buy 32 AW149 multi-role military helicopters worth 1.75 billion euros ($1.83 billion) from Italian arms company Leonardo.
It has also ordered 366 American Abrams tanks and surface-to-air missiles.
