WARSAW — The Slovak government has approved the purchase six Barak MX air defense systems with related equipment for an estimated €554 million ($615 million), according to the country’s deputy prime minister and defense minister, Robert Kaliňák.
Slovakia and Israel are currently negotiating the final terms of the planned deal, Kaliňák was quoted by the state-run news agency TASR.
The Slovak defense industry is to cooperate on the procurement with manufacturer Israel Aerospace Industries. The purchase will also include radars, missiles and related equipment.
“As far as I know, two companies [from Slovakia’s defense sector] have been approached, one state-owned and one privately-owned, in the field of radars, and in the field of missile production,” Kaliňák said.
Under the plan, the first system is to be delivered to the Slovak armed forces in late 2025.
The deputy prime minister claims that, over the course of negotiations, his ministry was able to reduce the initial price tag of some €128 million per system to about €92 million apiece, with additional funds set aside for the accompanying gear.
Kaliňák had previously spoken of two other offers for Slovakia’s envisioned air defense system, from U.S.-Norwegian and French-Italian consortia. The considered weapons included NASAMS and SAMP/T NG, respectively.
Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.
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