UK expertise to bolster Polish air defences in boost to NATO security

• New repair and logistics centre opened in Czosnów will help protect Poland's airspace, using UK expertise.

• Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard MP opens new defence facility in Poland, supporting jobs in Bristol, Stevenage and Bolton.

• Part of UK's commitment to protecting NATO's eastern flank against increasing Russian aggression.

Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard MP joined the Polish Deputy Minister of National Defence, Paweł Zalewski to open the MBDA missile logistics facility in Czosnów, Poland.

UK personnel will work alongside Polish counterparts at the site to help protect Poland's airspace. Its development will also support jobs in Bristol, Stevenage and Bolton, with more than 400 UK MBDA staff working on programmes that support Poland's defence.

The centre will enable faster and more direct maintenance, support and training for Poland's PILICA+ programme - a multi-billion-pound project building an integrated air defence network to defend Poland's skies in conjunction with the UK.

MBDA's expanded footprint in Poland will drive innovation and investment into the Czosnów region, while reinforcing stability across NATO's eastern flank.

Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard MP said:

The UK is proud to stand alongside Poland as a close friend, trusted ally, and partner in security, industry collaboration and defence.

At a time when Europe faces its most serious security challenges for generations, the opening of MBDA's new site demonstrates that the relationship between our two nations has never been more important.

Stronger Polish air defences means stronger NATO air defences, and that work is taking place while also backing jobs in both nations.

MBDA UK Managing Director, Chris Allam, said:

We are very pleased the Minister was able to attend the opening of our new facility in Poland.

Our site in Czosnów is evidence of how MBDA, as a strategic partner to governments, is helping deliver national sovereign capability, and by extension, facilitating cooperation and supporting the security of NATO partners.

Poland and the United Kingdom have a strong, longstanding security relationship, and MBDA is very proud to work with both nations, to find opportunities for co-development of future technology.

While in Poland, Minister Pollard will also visit MSPO, central Europe's largest defence show, where 38 UK defence companies are showcasing their technologies.

The event comes as the UK and Poland continue collaboration on the NAREW programme, worth more than £4 billion, which will deliver over 1,000 air defence missiles and more than 100 launchers to Poland, helping the country build its own sovereign missile manufacturing capability. The UK-Poland defence relationship is also being strengthened through the MIECZNIK programme, in which the UK is co-developing three Arrowhead-design frigates, similar to Babcock's Type 31s for the Royal Navy. The first arrowhead entered the water last month.

Following the Security and Defence Partnership Treaty signed by the UK and Poland in May this year, the relationship between the two nations has entered a new phase, deepening cooperation across defence, security and economic resilience.

The UK has committed £298 billion over four years as part of the Defence Investment Plan, helping to bolster both national security and the strength of the NATO alliance.