Poland’s Ministry of Defense has placed an order for 52 FlyEye tactical unmanned aerial systems for the army.
The deal will deliver the third package of Warsaw’s larger investment signed with local industry partner WB Group in September 2023 for around 400 reconnaissance drones.
Poland’s latest contract costs 97.5 million złotys ($23.8 million), with most of the systems to be distributed to troops stationed at the nation’s eastern border with Ukraine and Belarus.
WB Group is expected to complete the deliveries of this batch before the year’s end.
‘Significant Step’
Warsaw noted that the FlyEye drone will be leveraged for its optoelectronic technologies and specialized cameras to conduct aerial imaging in both daylight and nighttime.
The capability has already been tested by the Polish Army for applications under Operational Forces, Territorial Defence Forces, as well as some tasks in Ukraine.
“This is a significant step in equipping the Polish Army,” Minister of National Defence and Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz stated.
“We are implementing the 50/50 rule. It assumes that half of the expenditure on military equipment goes to Polish companies, both public and private, producing in Poland, and the other half comes from abroad. Today, we are implementing this in cooperation with, among others, WB Electronics, which supplies the highest quality equipment.”
Poland greenlighted the first order of FlyEyes with WB Group in April. It was followed by another order five months later.
The FlyEye
WB Group’s FlyEye is a “monoplane” platform measuring 1.8 meters (6 feet) long with wings extending to about 3.6 meters (12 feet).
It is deployable by hand in less than 10 minutes and can take off across complex environments, including forest and urban settings.
Depending on user requirements, the drone’s visible light and infrared stock cameras can be coupled with additional observation payloads to fulfill more challenging tasks.
FlyEye is powered by a lithium polymer-based silent electric engine for a top speed of 120 kilometers (75 miles) per hour, a service ceiling of 3,000 meters (9,843 feet), and more than 2.5 hours of operability.
