Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1467328
engines, makes the proposed vessel a cost-effective selection. One should also remember that in the case of the British offer, the AH140 vessel offered in the Miecznik program is just one of many elements of the broader offer of the British defense indu- stry. It also includes the MBDA CAMM-ER missiles, selected both for Miecznik, as well as the Narew SHORAD system, as well as the MBDA Brimstone ATGM, offered for the tank destroyer platform. Thales UK, meanwhile, is offering the Watchkeeper 450 UAV. The UK is also able to offer a European alternative for the US-made weapons designed for the F-35 - SPEAR 3 and Meteor missiles. The British government is trying hard to convince the Poles that a comprehensive selection of several products would entail the multiplication of the economic benefits that would be enjoyed by the Polish defense industry. Politically, Babcock's proposal is positioned very well. Alongside the US, the UK is currently considered to be one of the most re- levant allies for Poland. The United Kingdom has solidified its po- sition, actively supporting Ukraine during the current crisis initia- ted by Russia. The UK is intensely looking for an ally in Europe, who would allow the UK to remain a key player, after Brexit, to counter- balance the France-Germany duo. Poland is potentially a helper here - this has been expressed through a defense cooperation treaty signed by both nations in 2017. MEKO A300 ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems MEKO A300 is the second bid placed in Miecznik. The MEKO warships are well known in Po- land and around the world. Poland knows this design thanks to the MEKO A100 warship. The MEKO A100 has been the base for the Project 621 vessels of the Gawron program, aimed at procu- rement of missile corvettes. It resulted in bringing an „only child" to life, the poorly armed ORP Ślązak OPV. Before taking a closer look at the German bid, one should briefly discuss the history of the MEKO concept. The full name reads „MEhrzweck-KOmbina- tion", and refers to a modular configuration system, with a broad array of weapons and sensors. Thanks to standardization, the in- tegration cost is diminished for the MEKO vessels, and also the maintenance and repairs are much cheaper. The MEKO concept is more than 5 decades old. It has been developed back in the 1970s by Blohm+Voss. The first practical implementation came in a form of the MEKO A360 „Aradu" frigate, procured by the Nigerian Navy. Since then, more than 60 MEKO vessels became tangible, becoming a base for several classes of OPVs, corvettes, and friga- tes. The MEKO vessels offered by tkMS now, including the MEKO A300 vessels marketed in Greece, and then in Poland, do not have a lot in common with the MEKO A360 design which is 5 decades NAVY