Poland wants its own drone wall to counter Russian threat

Poland plans to start building a national anti-drone system within months, without waiting for the European Union’s “drone wall” initiative, the country’s deputy defense minister said.

Cezary Tomczyk said the ministry would announce investments this month in technology for detecting, jamming and neutralizing hostile drones, as part of a wider air-defense program. He didn’t say how much the investments would be worth, but the goal is for Polish companies to secure at least half of the contracts.

In September, NATO deployed fighter jets to shoot down about 20 drones that crossed into Polish territory during a massive Russian airstrike on Ukraine – the first such response since the full-scale invasion began in 2022. The incident exposed gaps in the country’s defenses as it was forced to deploy expensive missiles against cheap unmanned aircraft.

“We agree with the idea of strengthening the defense of the skies over the entire European Union and are willing to consider external proposals or solutions,” Tomczyk told Bloomberg News in an interview. “But we give priority to national projects.”

The EU’s drone wall can “complement” the Polish system in the future, he said. “If there’re any external tools, we will use them to the fullest,” according to the deputy minister.

Tomczyk said the ministry plans to use the EU’s new SAFE defense loan program to finance the country’s drone shield, but declined to provide details. Given its borders with Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, Poland got the biggest initial SAFE allocation, allowing it to tap into 43.7 billion euros ($50.8 billion) of funding.

The government wants the first new capabilities to be operational within three months of the announcements, and for the whole anti-drone system to be completed in two years.

“A counter-drone weapon must be comprehensive,” Tomczyk said. “It should consist of various sensors and effectors operating simultaneously, first detecting and identifying objects, and then neutralizing them.”

He added that the new anti-drone initiatives will become “another layer” of the country’s air defense network, next to already deployed long- and medium-range systems. All these elements are meant to protect against a wide range of aerial threats, including aircraft, helicopters, drones, and cruise missiles.

In July, the defense ministry said it would spend 200 million zloty ($54.2 million) this year to buy combat and training drones. Warsaw has also sped up procurement procedures for the weapons.

“The way in which both Russians and Ukrainians are using unmanned weapon systems today shows that strengthening our capabilities in this area must be a priority in all spheres of activity: in the air, on land, and at sea,” Tomczyk said.