Poland, Germany announce partnership on drone defence

Poland plans to work more closely with Germany on ground-based defence systems to combat drones.

Paweł Zalewski, a minister in the Polish Defence Ministry, announced the collaboration on the SAM air defence system after a meeting with his German counterpart Nils Schmid at Malbork military airfield.

"We would like to draw on and make use of Germany's experience in this area," said Zalewski. "The aim now is to shoot down drones or render them harmless in a cheaper, more cost-effective way," he said.

The use of cheap drones has significantly changed the economics of the battlefield, he said, calling for Poland's air defence system to be strengthened.

Schmid expressed his openness to further cooperation, explaining that drone defence will be organized using a mix of different weapon systems. "I am sure that we, as European allies, will work very closely together on this."

He thanked the German Eurofighter crew stationed at the military airfield and support personnel for their efforts in serving as a deterrent and defence against threats.

Last week, the German Air Force again deployed fighter jets to Poland to strengthen the protection of NATO's eastern flank.

The deployment is a response to recent airspace violations by Russian fighter jets in the Baltic Sea region and the entry of kamikaze drones into NATO territory. 

German fighter jets were previously deployed in August and September at the site, which is located about 60 kilometres south-east of Gdansk and 80 kilometres from the Russian Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad.

The German deployment includes around 150 men and women serving as pilots, technicians, logisticians, security personnel and military police. The deployment is initially planned to last until March.