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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team<\/a> and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Poland, Germany, France, Italy and the UK have agreed to jointly develop and procure low-cost air defence systems, including drones and missiles, with the aim of boosting Europe\u2019s ability to deal with growing aerial threats, especially from Russia.<\/p>\n The announcement was made during a summit on Friday in Krak\u00f3w, southern Poland, of the so-called European Group of Five (E5). NATO deputy secretary general Radmila \u0160ekerinska and the EU\u2019s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, also attended.<\/p>\n Podczas krakowskiego spotkania Grupy 5 Europejskich Ministr\u00f3w Obrony #E5<\/a> potwierdzili\u015bmy jedno\u015b\u0107 Europy i wsp\u00f3ln\u0105 odpowiedzialno\u015b\u0107 za nasze bezpiecze\u0144stwo. Podpisali\u015bmy wa\u017cne zobowi\u0105zanie dotycz\u0105ce wsp\u00f3lnego rozwoju zdolno\u015bci ra\u017cenia z wykorzystaniem niskokosztowego uzbrojenia\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/HUV41I1IKh<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 W\u0142adys\u0142aw Kosiniak-Kamysz (@KosiniakKamysz) February 20, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n In a joint statement, the quintet said they had agreed to launch the Low-Cost Effectors and Autonomous Platforms (LEAP) initiative. Effectors are weapons systems mounted on equipment such as drones, while autonomous platforms are the actual unmanned aerial vehicles themselves.<\/p>\n \u201cIn doing so, we aim to prevent potential aggression by Russia and ensure the capacity to respond to a broad range of threats,\u201d said the group.<\/p>\n \u201cAlongside cooperation on traditional weapons systems, this will improve our collective security within the alliance, help fulfil NATO capability requirements, and strengthen European cooperation with a view to greater burden-sharing among allies.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The initiative is partly a response to growing incidents of air incursions and airspace violations by Russia and Belarus against NATO countries.<\/p>\n In September, Poland and its NATO allies shot down<\/a> a number of Russian military drones that entered Polish airspace in what authorities called an \u201cunprecedented violation\u201d.<\/p>\n That response was initially heralded as a successful show of NATO\u2019s resolve, but it quickly became clear that Poland and other countries on the eastern front lacked<\/a>adequate anti-drone defence capabilities.<\/p>\n Expensive jets and their expensive missiles, costing over a million euros a piece, were used to destroy cheap Russian weapons. Only three out of 21 drones were neutralised, while Ukraine, by comparison, normally takes down over 90% of Russian swarms.<\/p>\n Poland has raised defence spending to the highest relative level in NATO, buying hundreds of tanks, aircraft, howitzers and other hardware.<\/p>\n But the recent Russian drone incursions have reignited a difficult question: is Poland preparing for the right war? https:\/\/t.co\/Uya7dizUPi<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Notes from Poland \ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf1 (@notesfrompoland) October 25, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cTechnologies and combat techniques are changing rapidly \u2013 we must react quickly and appropriately,\u201d said Polish defence minister W\u0142adys\u0142aw Kosiniak-Kamysz.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to make sure that we are matching the cost of the threats with the cost of defence,\u201d commented the UK\u2019s minister of state for defence readiness and industry, Luke Pollard, quoted by\u00a0Politico Europe.<\/p>\n The UK government said in a separate statement that the first project under the LEAP initiative will be delivered by 2027. Pollard referred to the initiative as a \u201cmulti-million pound, multi-million euro commitment\u201d, reports Reuters.<\/p>\n The E5 defence ministers also reiterated their commitment to boosting respective defence spending to 5% of GDP as agreed by NATO. Poland is already close to hitting that target, with its defence budget set to reach 4.8% of GDP this year, the largest relative<\/a>figure in NATO.<\/p>\n Today I represented the United Kingdom at the E5 meeting in Poland of Europe\u2019s five largest defence powers. <\/p>\n We announced a new joint low cost effector we will develop jointly to take out drones and air threats. <\/p>\n We also reinforced our collective support for Ukraine. pic.twitter.com\/vvsruRhm0a<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Luke Pollard MP (@LukePollard) February 20, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Last month, Poland signed an agreement<\/a> with Norwegian partners to develop a new anti-drone system called SAN, which Warsaw claims will be the first of its kind in Europe and is intended to protect the country\u2019s eastern borders.<\/p>\n Part of the funding for SAN comes from the EU\u2019s Security Action for Europe (SAFE) programme, which is providing almost \u20ac44 billion<\/a> (185 billion zloty) in loans for Poland to support its defence spending.<\/p>\n In their statement on Friday, the E5 defence ministers \u201cwelcomed the EU\u2019s commitment to providing member states with increased fiscal flexibility for defence spending and to create lending instruments\u201d.<\/p>\n However, the SAFE programme have been mired in domestic political controversy in Poland, where the right-wing opposition has urged conservative President Karol Nawrocki to try to block the funds, arguing they will place Warsaw under stronger influence from Brussels and potentially anger Washington.<\/p>\n Poland has signed an agreement for a new anti-drone system that it claims will be the first of its kind in Europe.<\/p>\n The network is intended to protect Poland\u2019s eastern borders, where last year around 20 Russian drones crossed in an unprecedented incursion https:\/\/t.co\/WhWhJxDwXA<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Notes from Poland \ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf1 (@notesfrompoland) January 30, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Main image credit: MON<\/a> (under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0<\/a>)<\/p>\n Olivier Sorgho is senior editor at Notes from Poland, covering politics, business and society. He previously worked for Reuters.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t
Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team<\/a> and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG-20241105-WA0000-e1730893869198.jpg\")
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