Poland eyes rapid Reaper drone buy as Russia’s war on Ukraine drags on

WARSAW, Poland — Amid increasing concern over Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine, Poland has decided to buy an undisclosed number of MQ-9 Reaper drones from the United States under a special, accelerated procedure. With the planned procurement, the Polish Armed Forces would become the first military on NATO’s eastern flank to purchase the medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) UAV.

“We want to urgently acquire these unmanned aerial vehicles, and we’re currently in talks with our American partners,” Lieutenant Colonel Krzysztof Płatek, a spokesperson for the Armament Agency of the Polish Ministry of National Defence, told Defense News. The forthcoming purchase “is related to the situation on Poland’s eastern border” with Ukraine.

The value of the planned acquisition was not disclosed by the ministry. Poland aims to buy the drones “as soon as possible,” according to Płatek.

The latest development marks another purchase of combat UAVs for the Polish military. Last May, Warsaw bought 24 Bayraktar TB2 drones from Turkey. The contract covers four sets of UAVs equipped with anti-tank missiles. Deliveries are scheduled for the years 2022 to 2024, according to data from the ministry.

Meanwhile, Warsaw is also planning to acquire new mid-range UAVs under the Gryf (Griffin) program, and further MALE drones under the Zefir (Zephyr) program.

Manufactured by General Atomics, the MQ-9 Reaper offers an endurance of 27 hours, and it can operate at an altitude of up to 50,000 feet (15,240 meters), as indicated by figures from the manufacturer.

Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.

波兰华沙——鉴于俄罗斯入侵邻国乌克兰的担忧日益加剧，波兰决定通过一项特殊的快速采购程序，从美国购买数量不详的MQ-9“死神”无人机。根据这项采购计划，波兰武装部队将成为北约东翼首个采购这款中空长航时（MALE）无人机的国家。

波兰国防部军备局发言人克日什托夫·普瓦泰克中校告诉《防务新闻》：“我们希望尽快采购这些无人机，目前正在与我们的美国伙伴进行谈判。” 即将进行的采购“与波兰东部与乌克兰接壤的边境局势有关”。

波兰国防部并未透露此次采购计划的具体金额。据普瓦泰克称，波兰的目标是“尽快”购买这些无人机。

最新进展标志着波兰军方再次采购作战无人机。去年5月，华沙从土耳其购买了24架Bayraktar TB2无人机。根据波兰国防部的数据，此次合同涵盖四套配备反坦克导弹的无人机，交付时间定于2022年至2024年。

与此同时，华沙还计划根据 Gryf（狮鹫）计划采购新的中程无人机，并根据 Zefir（西风）计划采购更多的中空长航时无人机。

根据制造商提供的数据，MQ-9“死神”无人机由通用原子公司制造，续航时间为27小时，飞行高度可达50,000英尺（15,240米）。

Jaroslaw Adamowski 是《防务新闻》驻波兰记者。