US approves $10b arms sale to Poland

The United States Department of State has approved the potential sale of long-range missiles, rockets and launchers to Poland in a deal valued at up to $10 billion, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.

Poland has been on a spending spree to modernize its military, while simultaneously donating older weapons to its neighbor Ukraine in the conflict with Russia.

The potential sale includes High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, which Kyiv has praised for their battlefield successes such as allegedly destroying Russian warehouses and command posts.

The package includes 18 HIMARS launchers, 45 of the 297-kilometer-range Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS, missiles and more than 1,559 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System, or GMLRS, rockets.

The US has rebuffed Ukraine's requests for ATACMS missiles and Poland would not be allowed to transfer any to Ukraine without US approval.

The deal comes after Poland received clearances last year to buy 116 M1A1 Abrams tanks and 250 M1A2 tanks made by General Dynamics.

In May, Poland requested an additional 500 HIMARS launchers from the US. But according to Polish media, Lockheed Martin Corp said it was possible to offer around 200. In October, Poland signed an agreement to buy 288 Chunmoo rocket launchers from South Korea.

Agencies via Xinhua