In a significant move to bolster its domestic counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) capabilities, Poland has launched a new development program for an unmanned aircraft specifically designed to intercept and neutralize hostile drones. The initiative is a joint effort by three key Polish defense institutions—PGZ’s WZL-2 facility in Bydgoszcz, PIT-RADWAR S.A., and the Air Force Institute of Technology (ITWL). The project reflects Poland’s growing emphasis on layered air defense and electronic warfare integration amid rising drone threats in Europe.
Consortium Composition and Roles
The development team is composed of:
- Wojskowe Zakłady Lotnicze Nr 2 S.A. (WZL-2): A key subsidiary of Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ), responsible for airframe design and overall system integration. WZL-2 has experience in UAV maintenance and modernization programs.
- PIT-RADWAR S.A.: A PGZ company specializing in radar systems and electronic warfare technologies. It will provide detection sensors and command-and-control (C2) architecture for the system.
- Air Force Institute of Technology (ITWL): A government R&D body contributing aerodynamic modeling, propulsion studies, and guidance algorithms.
The consortium aims to deliver a modular unmanned interceptor platform capable of autonomous or semi-autonomous operation against Group 1–3 class UAV threats—including quadcopters, fixed-wing loitering munitions, and small tactical drones. The project is currently in the conceptual design phase with preliminary prototyping expected by late 2025.
Design Objectives: Agile Interceptor with EW Integration
The envisioned platform will be a fixed-wing unmanned aircraft optimized for rapid response against low-altitude drone incursions. Key design goals include:
- High maneuverability to engage agile targets at short ranges
- Modular payload bays for kinetic or non-kinetic effectors (e.g., net launchers or directed-energy modules)
- COTS-based open architecture enabling plug-and-play sensor integration
- Electronic warfare compatibility, including GPS jamming resistance and potential onboard jamming capabilities
The aircraft will likely be launched via catapult or rail system for rapid deployment from mobile platforms. Recovery options under evaluation include parachute descent or net capture systems. Autonomous target tracking using EO/IR sensors fused with radar data is also being explored.
Evolving Threat Landscape Driving Urgency
This program emerges amid growing concern over drone proliferation across Eastern Europe—especially following lessons from Ukraine’s battlefield use of FPV drones and loitering munitions like Lancet-series UAVs. Polish military planners are increasingly focused on defending critical infrastructure such as airbases, logistics hubs, and command centers from low-cost aerial threats that can evade traditional radar coverage.
The Polish Armed Forces have already fielded several C-UAS solutions such as the PILICA+ SHORAD system—which integrates radars from PIT-RADWAR—but these tend to focus on ground-based interceptors or jamming assets. The new airborne UAS interceptor would add a dynamic layer capable of pursuing intruding drones beyond line-of-sight or terrain-masked areas where ground-based sensors are limited.
Complementary Systems Under Development in Poland
This initiative complements other ongoing efforts within Poland’s defense ecosystem:
- PILICA+ SHORAD modernization: Integrating CAMM missiles with radars like Bystra into mobile air defense batteries.
- PIRAT ATGM development: A lightweight guided missile potentially adaptable for C-UAS roles against larger UAVs.
- NAREW program: Medium-range air defense based on MBDA CAMM family missiles co-produced locally under PGZ-MBDA partnership.
The new unmanned interceptor could be integrated into these broader systems through standardized NATO-compliant data links such as Link-16 or national equivalents like TOPAZ C4ISR suite used by Polish artillery units. This would enable real-time target cueing across multiple echelons—from forward observers to centralized air command nodes.
Outlook: Prototyping Timeline and Export Potential
The consortium has not disclosed detailed specifications yet but confirmed that initial flight demonstrators are expected by Q4 2025. If successful, serial production could begin as early as 2027 under PGZ’s industrial umbrella. Funding is likely sourced from both internal R&D budgets and potential Ministry of National Defence innovation grants tied to anti-drone capability acceleration programs launched after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
If proven effective domestically, the system could attract export interest from NATO allies facing similar drone threats—especially Baltic states or countries along NATO’s eastern flank seeking affordable C-UAS options interoperable with Western command frameworks. This aligns with PGZ’s broader strategy to position itself as a regional supplier of integrated air defense solutions leveraging sovereign technologies.
A Strategic Step Toward Autonomous Air Defense Layering
This joint effort underscores Poland’s strategic shift toward multi-domain autonomous defense layering—where manned platforms are augmented by AI-enabled unmanned systems across land, sea, air, cyber domains. As drone swarms become more prevalent in asymmetric warfare scenarios globally, agile airborne interceptors may become indispensable tools in tactical-level force protection missions—from forward operating bases to civilian airports during crises.
The success of this program will depend not only on engineering execution but also on doctrinal adaptation within the Polish Armed Forces to incorporate autonomous interceptors into existing rules of engagement and C4ISR workflows—a challenge many NATO members are now confronting simultaneously.
