Poland is set to sign a contract for what it claims will be the largest anti-drone system in Europe, according to its Defence Minister.
The country, which is a member of NATO and the European Union, shares borders with Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus. It has been one of Kyiv’s staunchest allies in its resistance against the Russian invasion.
Poland already spends nearly 5% of its GDP on defence and recently estimated that an anti-drone shield on its eastern border could cost roughly €2 billion.
Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz stated that the contract with an international consortium established to meet “an urgent operational need” is expected to be signed by the end of January. Negotiations between the Polish Arms Agency and the consortium have concluded, he told the newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza, though he did not disclose the investment amount.
The anti-drone system will utilise various types of weaponry supplied predominantly by domestic manufacturers in collaboration with foreign groups, the minister added. Last year, Poland signed a deal with Turkish company Anduril for electronic protection systems, and has also been in talks with Norwegian firm Kongsberg.
Poland has been closely monitoring Russia’s extensive drone attacks on Ukraine and has experienced incursions by Russian drones within its own borders.
Warsaw recently suggested supplying Ukraine with its remaining Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets and expressed interest in Ukrainian drone technology, which has advanced significantly since Russia’s invasion began nearly four years ago.
