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MOD to enter into negotiations with Poland and Israel on very short-range and medium-range air defence systems

Ministry of Defence of The Slovak Republic

04.10.2023

Following the government's approval today, the Slovak Defence Ministry can enter into negotiations to secure the first stage acquisition of air defence (AD) systems. In doing so, the MOD is acting on the recommendations of MOD subject matter experts (SMEs) for the very short-range and medium-range air defence (VSHORAD & MRAD) systems.

The MOD has been mandated to start negotiations with the Government of the Republic of Poland to prepare the G2G documents necessary to procure 36 Polish-made Piorun MANPAD sets. Similarly, the MOD is to lead negotiations with the Government of the State of Israel to procure one (1) BARAK MX mobile medium-range surface-to-air missile (MRSAM-M) system. In both cases, draft contract documents will be submitted to the government for approval before signing.

In a statement, Defence Minister Martin Sklenár said: "I want to thank the Cabinet for taking a responsible decision - a step necessary to meet the long-term Air Defence Capability requirements of the Slovak Armed Forces, while the identified proposals fully respect economic considerations in procurement. These are, undoubtedly, the most advantageous solutions that will clearly serve the interest of protecting our homeland from aerial threats."

If talks with the selected states are unsuccessful, the MOD will open negotiations with the countries next on the list according to the final bidders' ranking.

After completing the bid evaluation process for the VSHORAD & MRAD systems, a team of MOD experts proposed the best solutions to Slovakia's Air Defence Capability, taking account of all relevant criteria such as technical capabilities, total procurement price, integrated logistical support services, service life costs, schedule of delivery, and training of operators.

The overall procurement costs for the two types of AD systems, initially estimated at €196,450,677 (including VAT), stand at €193,985,880 (including VAT). The VSHORAD & MRAD systems are set to be delivered into service with the Slovak Armed Forces from 2024 to 2027.