Poland is building its state-of-the-art 'drone armada'. Strategic plan with Ukraine, announced by Tusk
Warsaw is launching a strategic plan to build a state-of-the-art “drone armada” with the help of Ukrainian technical expertise and European funding to strengthen the airspace security of Poland and the European Union against possible Russian aggression, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on Monday, according to The Kyiv Independent.
“Ukraine has proven to be a reliable partner for countries that want to defend themselves against air attacks,” Tusk said at an event in the southeastern Polish city of Rzeszow, where he met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko.
The project, announced during the “Path to Reconstruction of Ukraine” conference, aims – according to Tusk – to make an “unprecedented technological leap” in the development of combat drones thanks to the “technical know-how and skills in the field of drones of our Ukrainian friends”.
The drone “army” will consist of a modern and very large fleet of unmanned aircraft, intended to protect Polish and European airspace from possible air attacks.
“Poland must have its own modern drone armada so that we can not only help Ukraine today, but also tell the Poles with full confidence that we are safe,” Tusk said.
For the implementation of the project, “Polish national capital and funding from the EU” will be mobilized, so that allied European technology can “practically skip an entire technological era”, and Ukraine, Poland and Europe will be “protected from air attacks and any ambition of any aggressor”, said Donald Tusk, according to the EFE and Agerpres agencies.
In his speech, the Polish prime minister also addressed the topic of the reconstruction of Ukraine, warning that “there will be no reconstruction if the aggressor does not end this war”, referring to Russia, and conditioned the economic recovery on a “guaranteed” military security.
Tusk stressed that Ukraine's relations with Poland and Europe are based on mutual partnership rather than unilateral aid. According to the Polish Prime Minister, Warsaw played a key role in promoting this partnership model.
The meeting took place in the so-called “Valley of Aviation” in Rzeszów, the capital of the Subcarpathian (Podkarpackie) province. This technical conference on “Defence and Security” prefaces a major summit on the reconstruction of Ukraine, expected to take place in Gdansk in June.
Warsaw has stepped up cooperation efforts with Ukraine in the development of unmanned systems, especially after several Russian drones were shot down in Polish airspace in September 2025.
The war between Russia and Ukraine has brought with it rapid advances in drone technology, prompting countries in Europe and the Middle East to turn to Kiev's expertise in developing unmanned systems.
During the event, Sviridenko stated that this cooperation with Poland will strengthen the security of both countries. “There is no need to explain here what Russian aggression means. We are here, shoulder to shoulder, in the fight for freedom and peace,” the Ukrainian prime minister said.
NATO and EU member Poland, which borders Ukraine, provided extensive military and humanitarian assistance to Kiev after the Russian invasion began. Its airport in Rzeszow played a key role in transiting Western military aid to the war-torn country.
