Amid increasing concern over Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine, Poland has decided to buy an undisclosed number of MQ-9 Reaper drones from the United States under a special, accelerated procedure. With the planned procurement, the Polish Armed Forces would become the first military on NATO’s eastern flank to purchase the medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) UAV.
“We want to urgently acquire these unmanned aerial vehicles, and we’re currently in talks with our American partners,” Lieutenant Colonel Krzysztof Płatek, a spokesperson for the Armament Agency of the Polish Ministry of National Defence. The forthcoming purchase “is related to the situation on Poland’s eastern border” with Ukraine.
The value of the planned acquisition was not disclosed by the ministry. Poland aims to buy the drones “as soon as possible,” according to Płatek.