US and Poland consider joint production of Javelin anti-tank weapons.

U.S.-based defense companies Lockheed Martin and Raytheon have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa, a Polish defense company. The MOU aims to explore the establishment of a final assembly facility and component production capabilities for Javelin anti-tank weapons in Poland, according to a joint statement released by the companies.
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The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) would allow for the development of a long-term international partnership with PGZ (Picture source: US DoD)

Dave Pantano, Javelin Joint Venture vice president, and Lockheed Martin Javelin program director, stated that the MOU would allow for the development of a long-term international partnership with PGZ. The agreement is expected to stabilize the future production of the Javelin system for U.S. forces and offer opportunities for the Polish defense industry.

At the end of last month, the United States had already supplied Ukraine with over 10,000 Javelin anti-tank weapons, as reported by the Pentagon. The Pentagon recently took steps to increase munition production through the establishment of the Joint Production Accelerator Cell in March. This initiative aims to find ways to boost the production of critical munitions for both U.S. forces and allies. Lockheed and Raytheon are also planning to increase the annual production of Javelins from 2,000 to more than 3,500.

The concept of overseas production of U.S. weapons is not new. Lockheed Martin-owned Sikorsky has been assembling Black Hawk helicopters in Poland, and Lockheed also has assembly lines for F-35s in Italy and Japan.

The MOU comes at a time when the rapid consumption of critical munitions in conflicts, such as the one in Ukraine, has led to discussions about new manufacturing strategies, including overseas production. However, increasing production capacity involves overcoming supply chain issues and requires substantial investment, according to a recent report from the Center for a New American Security.