Poland’s armed forces want interceptor drones that fly at 340 km/h or faster and hit targets 20 km away, helicopters and crewed aircraft included. Makers have until 15 October to apply for army tests, under two calls the defence ministry published on 8 October.
The calls come from the Inspectorate of Unmanned Weapon Systems Forces, which runs Poland’s drone testing under a ministerial decision of September 2025. One asks for a large interceptor, the other for a small one a soldier can carry. On 2 October, Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz named “drones and anti-drone systems” as one of three priorities he had set for the armed forces this year.
The large interceptor
It must hit large drones, helicopters, crewed aircraft and attack weapons built on large airframes. The documents set a strike range of at least 20 km, more than 20 minutes in the air, and a speed of 340 km/h with an electric motor or 400 km/h with a jet.
That is the speed of Russia’s jet-powered Shahed drones. Yurii Ihnat, spokesman for Ukraine’s air force, has said they usually fly at about 400 km/h.
Guidance can be optical, by radio or autonomous “fire and forget”, and the ministry prefers AI. The interceptor must destroy its target by impact, preferably with a warhead that arms only after the first 300 metres. After a miss, the warhead disarms and the interceptor aborts and lands itself. Crews get six minutes from clearance to launch, and the system must exchange data in ASTERIX, the standard format for radar tracks.
The small one
The second call is for an interceptor of 4 kg or less, used by one soldier or a small team. It must fly at 150 km/h, reach 1,500 metres, find its target from 200 metres and start in 15 seconds. Guidance must be fully autonomous, and makers must state what one unit costs.
Finished, free and made in NATO
Both calls ask for a finished product at technology readiness level 9, the top of the scale, made in the EU or a NATO country. Makers lend their test units free, train the soldiers and give up any claim if the army destroys them. They also need a Polish licence to make or trade military goods.
The application form asks for an estimated unit price and how many the maker could deliver, and by when. Those accepted will be told within 30 days of the deadline, by 14 November.
