Poland is planning to build the largest anti-drone defense system in Europe as it steps up security along its eastern borders, the country’s defense minister has said.
Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced that Warsaw is expected to sign a contract by the end of January with a consortium of companies to develop what he described as “the largest anti-drone system in Europe”. The project is part of broader efforts to strengthen defenses on Poland’s eastern flank as a member of NATO.
Poland, which is also a member of the European Union, borders Ukraine, Russia and Belarus, and has emerged as one of Kyiv’s strongest supporters since the start of Russia’s invasion.
Warsaw already spends around 5 per cent of its gross domestic product on defense and has recently estimated that building an anti-drone “shield” along its eastern border could cost about two billion euros.
According to Kosiniak-Kamysz, the agreement will be signed between the Polish government and an international consortium created to meet what he described as an “urgent operational requirement”. The defense minister said negotiations between Poland’s armaments agency and the consortium have already concluded, although he did not disclose the final investment value. The comments were reported by Agence France-Presse.
Speaking to the newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza, the minister said the new system would rely on different types of weapons, supplied mainly by domestic manufacturers in cooperation with foreign partners.
He also recalled a contract signed last year with the US defense technology group Anduril, adding that Norway’s Kongsberg is among the firms Poland is in talks with.
Poland has been closely monitoring Russia’s intensive use of drones in Ukraine and has itself experienced several airspace violations linked to Russian activity. Warsaw recently offered to supply Kyiv with its remaining Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets and has also expressed interest in Ukrainian drone technologies, which have advanced rapidly since the Russian invasion began nearly four years ago.
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