Kongsberg to build new plant in Poland for counter-drone systems

WARSAW, Poland — Norway’s Kongsberg has decided to build a new production facility for counter-drone systems in northern Poland, with plans to invest more than 200 million zloty ($51 million) in the plant.

The investment is connected to the company’s cooperation with Polish state-run defense group PGZ to deliver the San anti-drone system to the Polish military.

“We have been present in Poland for many years. We think it’s important that we establish local sites in Poland,” Eirik Lie, the president and CEO of Kongsberg, told Defense News at the Warsaw Security Forum here on Oct. 12. “We are on good track for deliveries on the San program. But also, we expect export contracts, so this enables us to be prepared for these exports from Poland.”

Under the San deal, valued at around PLN 15 billion ($3.8 billion), Kongsberg and PGZ are to supply 18 anti-drone batteries, 52 firing platoons, 18 command platoons, and 703 vehicles to the Polish military, according to data from Poland’s Ministry of National Defence. The contract will be largely financed by loans that Poland has secured from the European Union’s Security Action For Europe (SAFE) scheme.

Given the region-wide concern over drone incursions, Lie said Kongsberg expects the demand for its solutions to rise significantly in the coming years. In the future, the envisioned Polish factory could also introduce additional defense solutions to its portfolio.

“As a company, we are expanding quite a lot. We want to build on this factory for other elements as well,” the CEO said.

In a statement, the Norwegian group said it plans to sign a construction contract by the end of 2026 and begin work immediately afterward. Serial production of counter-drone systems could begin in the first half of 2028. The investment is expected to create more than 100 jobs in Poland once the plant reaches full capacity.

Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.

波兰华沙——挪威康斯伯格公司决定在波兰北部建造一座新的反无人机系统生产设施，计划向该工厂投资超过 2 亿兹罗提（5100 万美元）。

这项投资与该公司与波兰国营国防集团 PGZ 合作向波兰军方交付 San 反无人机系统有关。

“我们在波兰已经开展业务多年。我们认为在波兰建立本地基地非常重要，”康斯伯格公司总裁兼首席执行官埃里克·利耶10月12日在华沙安全论坛上告诉《防务新闻》。“我们在San项目的交付方面进展顺利。此外，我们还期待获得出口合同，这使我们能够为从波兰出口做好准备。”

根据波兰国防部的数据，根据价值约150亿兹罗提（38亿美元）的San协议，康斯伯格公司和PGZ公司将向波兰军方提供18个反无人机连、52个射击排、18个指挥排和703辆车辆。该合同的大部分资金将来自波兰从欧盟“欧洲安全行动”（SAFE）计划获得的贷款。

鉴于无人机入侵在整个地区引发的担忧，Lie表示，康斯伯格预计未来几年对其解决方案的需求将显著增长。未来，计划中的波兰工厂还有望在其产品组合中增加其他国防解决方案。

“作为一家公司，我们正在快速扩张。我们希望利用这座工厂生产其他零部件，”首席执行官说道。

这家挪威集团在一份声明中表示，计划在2026年底前签署建设合同，并随即开工。反无人机系统的批量生产有望在2028年上半年启动。该工厂全面投产后，预计将在波兰创造超过100个就业岗位。

Jaroslaw Adamowski 是《防务新闻》驻波兰记者。