Poland buys Sky Guardian drones as it readies to launch ‘Drone Force’

WARSAW, Poland — Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz has signed a deal to purchase an undisclosed number of MQ-9B Sky Guardian drones for the Polish Armed Forces. The new unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will be part of the military’s new component to be launched next month, the Drone Force.

“A few months ago, I declared the creation of the Drone Force which is now becoming a fact. Starting on Jan. 1, the Drone Force will no longer be a plan, but a real part of the Polish military,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said at the signing ceremony on Dec. 12, as quoted in a ministry statement.

“For several such machines, we will pay around … $310 million. It is a significant purchase, but we are investing in the highest-quality gear. We are currently leasing an older version, MQ-9A, but we are upgrading to the latest MQ-9B model,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said. “It’s an investment in Poland’s security and in the cooperation with our strategic partner, the United States.”

In October 2022, the Ministry of National Defence signed a contract to lease a set of MQ-9A Reaper drones from their producer, General Atomics. The deal had a net value of $70.6 million, and it enabled the Polish Armed Forces to become the first military on NATO’s eastern flank to secure the medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) drone.

Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine has pushed numerous allies across the region to accelerate their acquisition plans for UAVs. Last March, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defence told Defense News that Warsaw aims to “intensify the dronization process of the Polish military in specific areas of their use: reconnaissance, combat, and support.”

“Experience with the use of drones across our eastern border [with Ukraine] indicates the validity of their use at the lowest levels of command, so that, for instance, a platoon commander could have reconnaissance UAVs at their disposal, and be able to hit close targets with UAVs or use so-called ‘kamikaze’ drones,” the official said.

The ministry has said the Drone Force will comprise aerial, land, naval surface and underwater unmanned systems.

Under the plan, the new batch of MQ-9B Sky Guardian drones are to be delivered to the Polish military by the first quarter of 2027.

General Atomics says the Sky Guardian drone is outfitted with the Lynx multi-mode radar, automatic takeoff and landing, an advanced electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensor, as well as a 79 ft (24-meter) wingspan that is longer than that of its predecessors.

Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.

波兰华沙——波兰国防部长瓦迪斯瓦夫·科西尼亚克-卡梅什签署了一项协议，将为波兰武装部队采购数量不详的MQ-9B“天空卫士”无人机。这些新型无人机将成为波兰军方下月即将组建的新部队——无人机部队的一部分。

据国防部声明援引科西尼亚克-卡梅什的话称：“几个月前，我宣布成立无人机部队，现在这正在成为现实。从1月1日起，无人机部队将不再是计划，而是波兰军队的真正组成部分。”科西尼亚克-卡梅什在12月12日的签字仪式上说道。

“购买几架这样的无人机，我们将花费大约……3.1亿美元。这是一笔不小的开支，但我们投资的是最高质量的装备。我们目前租赁的是老款的MQ-9A，但我们正在升级到最新的MQ-9B型号，”科西尼亚克-卡米什说道。“这既是对波兰安全的投资，也是对与我们的战略伙伴美国合作的投资。”

2022年10月，波兰国防部与制造商通用原子公司签署了一份租赁MQ-9A“死神”无人机的合同。该交易净值7060万美元，使波兰武装部队成为北约东翼第一个拥有中空长航时（MALE）无人机的军队。

俄罗斯持续入侵乌克兰，促使该地区众多盟友加快了无人机采购计划。去年3月，波兰国防部发言人告诉《防务新闻》，华沙的目标是“加强波兰军队在特定领域的无人机化进程，包括侦察、作战和支援”。

这位官员表示：“我们在东部边境（与乌克兰接壤）使用无人机的经验表明，在最低指挥层级使用无人机是合理的，例如，排长可以拥有侦察无人机，并能够用无人机打击近距离目标，或者使用所谓的‘神风特攻队’无人机。”

该部表示，无人机部队将包括空中、陆地、海上水面和水下无人系统。

根据该计划，新一批 MQ-9B 天空卫士无人机将于 2027 年第一季度交付波兰军方。

通用原子公司表示，天空守护者无人机配备了Lynx多模式雷达、自动起飞和着陆系统、先进的光电/红外（EO/IR）传感器，以及比其前代产品更长的79英尺（24米）翼展。

Jaroslaw Adamowski 是《防务新闻》驻波兰记者。