Poland is leasing General Atomics‘ MQ-9A Reaper drones as an interim step in the nation’s planned buy of Reapers and Turkish TB2 Bayraktars to help defend Poland from possible Russian aggression.
Last year, Poland signed an agreement with Turkey to buy 24 TB2s.
“There is no modern army without drones,” Polish Deputy Prime Minister Mariusz Błaszczak said last week. “The high effectiveness of the equipment wss provided by Ukraine which used these modern drones to defend themselves against the Russians.”
Also last week, Blaszczak called attention to the F-22 fighters stationed at the 32nd Tactical Air Base in Lask, Poland. In August, the U.S. Air Force sent 12 Lockheed Martin [LMT] F-22 Raptors from the 90th Fighter Squadron at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, to Poland to support NATO Air Shielding in defense of NATO’s eastern flank.
General Atomics said on Oct. 31 that Poland’s leasing of Block 5 MQ-9As has a net value of $70.6 million. The drones can fly more than 27 hours and can carry intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance and strike payloads up to 3,850 pounds.
Sensor payloads can include full motion video and synthetic aperture radar/moving target indicator/maritime radar.
Linden Blue, the president of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., said in a statement that the company’s “support for Poland and the NATO alliance is steadfast as they confront the ongoing war in the region.”
The U.S. Air Force, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain operate Reapers, while the U.K. and Belgium have bought the newer MQ-9B Sky Guardian, and the Japan Coast Guard has begun operating the MQ-9B Sea Guardian maritime version.