Poland Announces Missile Defense Tender Amid Crimea Tensions

Amid escalating tensions between Ukraine and Russia, neighbor Poland has decided to

Accelerate its tender for a missile defence system.

Poland Deputy Defence Minister Czeslaw Mroczek was quoted by Reuters as saying that the country wants to choose an offer by the end of 2014.

"That is the acceleration by several months, compared to our original plans that we are talking about" Mroczek said. "To a certain extent, the decision on accelerating this process is the result of a review commissioned by the prime minister and the defence minister because of the situation in Ukraine."

Poland had originally planned to announce the supplier of its missile defence system in 2015.

The bidders include a Thales-led consortium comprising MBDA and the Polish state defence group, the Israeli Government, Raytheon and the MEADS consortium led by Lockheed Martin.

The missile defence shield is planned to be completed in stages, with the first involving eight sets of mid-range interceptor rockets, according to airforce-technology.com

The system is expected to be completed by the end of 2022.