Poland intends to kick off the establishment of a national drone defense system within the coming months, without waiting for the European Union's "drone wall" initiative to be implemented. This was stated by the Deputy Minister of Defense of Poland, Cezary Tomczyk, in an interview with Bloomberg.
Tomczyk noted that this month, the ministry will announce investments in detection, jamming, and neutralization technologies for hostile drones as part of a broader air defense program. While he did not disclose the cost of these investments, the goal is to ensure that Polish companies receive at least half of the contracts.
“We agree with the idea of enhancing air defense across the entire European Union and are open to considering external proposals. However, we prioritize national projects,” Tomczyk stated.
According to him, the EU's “drone wall” could “complement” the Polish system in the future. “If there are any external tools available, we will utilize them to the fullest extent,” the Deputy Minister added.
Tomczyk also mentioned that the ministry plans to utilize the new EU SAFE defense credit program to finance the country's drone shield, but declined to provide specific details. Given Poland's borders with Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine, it received the largest initial funding under the SAFE program, allowing it to secure 43.7 billion euros in financing.
The government aims for the first new capabilities to be operational within three months of the announcement, and the entire drone countermeasure system to be completed within two years.
“Weapons against drones need to be comprehensive. They should consist of various sensors and effectors that work simultaneously, first detecting and identifying objects, and then neutralizing them,” Tomczyk said.
He added that the new initiatives to combat drones will become “another layer” of the country's air defense network, alongside already deployed long-range and medium-range systems. All these elements are designed to protect against a wide range of aerial threats, including planes, helicopters, drones, and cruise missiles.
