Lockheed Martin [LMT] signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with the Polish state-owned defense company Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ) covering several defense issues that could increase Poland’s involvement in defense programs, the companies said Wednesday.
The LoI was signed at the International Defense Industry Exhibition (MSPO) in Kielce, Poland by Jonathan Hoyle, vice president of Lockheed Martin’s Europe and Latin America division and President of PGZ Arkadiusz Siwko.
This agreement “paves the way” for PGZ member companies to be directly involved in the manufacture of products including satellite systems, aircraft, helicopters, weapons and combat systems, and training devices and simulators, the companies said.
This LoI is building on a previous agreement by PZL Mielec, a Lockheed Martin company, and PGZ at the Farnborough International Air Show signed in late July. That agreement said PGZ companies would have significant involvement in the S-70i Black Hawk helicopter program if Poland selected LMT’s subsidiary Sikorsky and PZL Mielec to provide a fleet of multirole helicopters.
This new agreement also includes involvement in the Medium Extended Air Defense Systems (MEADS), the NATO air and missile defense system; as well as a commitment to evaluating the possibility of placing a regional Black Hawk helicopter upgrade, maintenance, repair, and overhaul facility in Poland.
The companies also committed to greater involvement of PGZ member companies in the supply of weapons, components, and assemblies for products manufactured in Mielec
“This is a very significant step towards tightening the cooperation between Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa and Lockheed Martin, which is a very important partner for us. We hope this cooperation will result in strengthening our long-term partnership and our involvement in many successful projects, to the benefit of both American and Polish industry,” Siwko said in a statement.
“We believe this agreement will lead to an even deeper partnership with Poland, supporting hundreds more jobs within PGZ member companies and boosting the contribution the defense industry makes to the national economy,” Hoyle added.
Lockheed Martin currently employs over 1,500 persons in Poland following its acquisition of Sikorsky in December 2015.