Poland looks set to acquire MQ-9B SkyGuardian MALE UAV’s for reconnaissance missions on its Eastern border (General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.)
MADRID — Poland expects to sign a production contract with General Atomics for MQ-9B SkyGuardian UAVs in a matter of weeks, according to a senior Polish military official, as part of an extensive air force modernization effort jolted into action by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
A plan to acquire the new aircraft was previously announced by the Polish Ministry of National Defence in October 2022 in order to replace leased MQ-9A platforms from the US, but Maj. Gen. Cezary Wisniewski revealed today the contract signing is days away. The medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) MQ-9A aircraft currently conduct reconnaissance missions on Poland’s eastern border and were originally leased under an urgent operational need.
“Right now we are working on a contract with General Atomics for the MQ-9 Bravo,” Wisniewski, deputy commander of the Polish Armed Forces, told Breaking Defense at the International Fighter Conference in Madrid. “The contract will be ready in two to three weeks. It’s not a big number [of aircraft] and we don’t need a big number actually because our ISR workhorse is the [Bayraktar] TB2 [MALE] drone.”
Poland first ordered 24 Turkish-made TB2 UAVs in May 2021 and has subsequently received three of four delivery batches, according to Wisniewski. “The fourth is coming” he added.
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The TB2 has also been consistently used in the Ukraine war, alongside a wide array of smaller class UAVs and loitering munitions, but the US government has so far refused to approve supply of MQ-9 Reapers or larger types to Ukrainian forces, despite lobbying by General Atomics and an offer from the manufacturer to Kyiv to buy two units for $1.
C. Mark Brinkley, chief marketing and communications strategist at GA-ASI, told Breaking Defense today that “any details on the status” of Poland’s MQ-9B order “should come from the [Polish] government” but noted that the leased MQ-9A fleet has logged over 1,200 flight hours and “by all reports is a welcomed addition to Poland’s military operations.”
He added that Poland’s MQ-9B “rapid acquisition” would “greatly expand security across Europe,” bolstered by current orders of the aircraft across the continent by Belgium and the UK.
“We look forward to continued cooperation with Poland in their efforts to confront Russian aggression in the region,” said Brinkley.
Meanwhile, Poland is also carrying out a market evaluation of loyal wingmen aircraft as a step toward launching a full acquisition program, although the latter could take between two to five years or longer, largely because Wisniewski said, “We think that industry is not ready to prove the capabilities yet.”
He said Boeing’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat, in development with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and the US Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, set to eventually operate with Next Generation Air Dominance and F-35 aircraft are being watched.
“We have allocated some money for the future for this” loyal wingman project, said Wisniewski. “We are not at a point to start working on acquisition. It’s just a content view and just waiting for more information to be sure that we don’t make a mistake. We just want to join the mainstream approach.”
Additionally, though Poland has vowed to acquire an extra 32 new fighter jets, it will take more time before a decision is made about which aircraft to procure because a new government has still to take power, explained Wisniewski.
He confirmed Eurofighter Typhoon and Boeing’s F-15EX are in the frame for the new fighter jet order, but also added that a second F-35 buy is also possible.
“Right now my team is in Italy, talking to Airbus about Eurofighter, discussing the capabilities, marketing numbers but also looking a little deeper,” he added. “This is the initial [evaluation] phase of the commitment to [acquire] new fighters.”
Regarding Poland’s original order of 32 F-35 jets, the first aircraft is due for delivery in 2025, added Wisniewski. A first set of eight pilots will also travel to the US for training on the aircraft next year. Poland plans on sending 20 in total.
Bartosz Glowacki contributed to this story from Warsaw.
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