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Poland Plans “Drone Armada” Inspired by Ukraine’s Battlefield Experience
Poland is preparing to build a large-scale fleet of drones, drawing on lessons learned from Ukraine’s use of unmanned systems in combat, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said during a conference in Rzeszów focused on Ukraine’s reconstruction.
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This was reported by The Guardian on April 27.
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Speaking at the event, Tusk outlined Warsaw’s intention to strengthen its rapid-response capabilities amid growing global instability.
“We know how unstable the situation is not only in the region, but in the whole world. We also know how important the ability to react quickly is in the event of some provocation or aggression,” he said.
Tusk stated that Poland aims to “build a drone armada,” using Ukraine’s technical expertise and real-world battlefield experience as a foundation.
According to the Polish prime minister, the goal is to leverage the technological shift driven by the war.
“As a consequence of this war, somewhat unexpected for the Russians, we will leapfrog an entire technological epoch so that in the near future, Ukraine, Poland, and Europe will be safe from air attacks,” he said.
Tusk emphasized that Poland is particularly focused on integrating Ukraine’s combat-tested experience into its own defense strategy.
“For me it is very important that these tragic and at the same time impressive experiences of Ukraine in the confrontation with Russia also become part of our knowhow on how to defend the Polish skies,” he added.
The move echoes Ukraine’s own “Army of Drones” initiative, a state-backed program launched to rapidly scale the development, production, and deployment of unmanned systems across the battlefield.
The project brings together government agencies, private manufacturers, and international partners to supply Ukrainian forces with a wide range of drones, from reconnaissance and FPV strike systems to longer-range platforms. It also integrates training, procurement, and innovation into a single ecosystem, allowing Ukraine to adapt quickly to battlefield needs.
The initiative aligns with broader regional efforts to scale up drone capabilities, including Ukraine’s own expansion of production through international partnerships.
Ukraine announced plans to manufacture several thousand medium-range, or “mid-strike,” drones in Norway as part of its first joint UAV production program. The project will be funded by Oslo through additional resources beyond the $7 billion in defense support already allocated to Ukraine for 2026, with all produced systems designated for Ukraine’s Defense Forces.
The agreement was signed in Kyiv by Norway’s Ambassador Lars Ragnar Aalerud Hansen and Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Defense for European Integration Serhii Boiev.
“The agreement opens opportunities to scale up the production of Ukrainian technologies that have already proven their effectiveness on the battlefield and to strengthen the defense capabilities of both countries,” the Ministry of Defense said.
Ukrainian officials also noted that Norway intends to allocate more than $1.5 billion this year toward the procurement of Ukrainian-made weapons, further reinforcing cooperation in defense production.
At the same time, the US military has conducted simulations of a large-scale drone assault modeled on Ukrainian battlefield tactics during classified exercises at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, signaling a shift in how Washington approaches unmanned threats.
According to Defense One, the drills, held under Operation Clear Horizon, were designed to recreate combat conditions seen during Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, including tactics similar to those used in Ukraine’s 2025 “Spiderweb” operation targeting Russian strategic aviation.
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