Poland Builds Europe’s Largest Anti Drone Wall

Poland has signed a contract worth roughly 3.8 billion dollars to deploy what will become Europe’s largest integrated counter drone system, a move shaped directly by hard lessons from the war in Ukraine and rising airspace violations along NATO’s eastern edge, as reported by Aviacion Online.

The program, known as SAN or System Antydronowy SAN, is designed to fill the dangerous gap between traditional air defense and the flood of cheap tactical drones now dominating modern battlefields.

Rather than relying on a single weapon or sensor, SAN is built as a layered defensive ecosystem, combining detection, command and a wide mix of kinetic and electronic countermeasures.

The contract was signed on January 30, 2026, at PIT RADWAR facilities in Kobyłka, with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and senior defense officials present.

Poland’s Armament Agency awarded the deal to a consortium led by Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa, with Norway’s Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace as an international partner and Advanced Protection Systems providing core command and control technology.

A System Built for Drone Saturation

SAN is not a single battery or fixed installation. It is a mobile, modular counter drone architecture built to handle mass attacks rather than isolated intrusions.

The contract covers 18 anti-aircraft system modules. Each module includes three firing platoons and one support platoon, all capable of operating independently or as part of a larger network. In total, the program will field 52 firing platoons and close to 700 military vehicles, making it the largest counter drone deployment ever attempted in Europe.

Each firing platoon brings its own sensors, command systems and effectors. Detection relies on a blend of short and medium range radars, passive electronic surveillance, and electro optical systems optimized for low altitude and low signature targets. Data flows into a centralized command layer supplied by Advanced Protection Systems, enabling real time coordination and automated threat assignment.

The effector mix reflects a clear cost conscious philosophy. Instead of relying on expensive surface to air missiles, SAN combines several layers of response:

• 35 millimeter anti aircraft guns firing programmable ammunition
• 30 millimeter cannons with air burst capability
• 12.7 millimeter heavy machine guns for very close range threats
• APKWS laser guided rockets as a lower cost missile option
• Interceptor drones designed for drone on drone engagements
• Electronic warfare systems to disrupt control and navigation links

This layered approach allows Poland to counter everything from slow commercial quadcopters to coordinated swarms, without burning through high value interceptors.

Mobility, Scale and Domestic Industry

SAN is designed to stay on the move. Roughly 400 vehicles will be based on Jelcz tactical trucks, with another 300 coming from the Igwan program developed by Rosomak on a South Korean KLTV foundation. These platforms carry sensors, guns, command posts, logistics units and mobile workshops, allowing sustained operations near the eastern and northern borders.

The support platoons add longer range surveillance radars, artillery and radar repair units, fuel tankers and transport vehicles, ensuring the system can remain deployed for extended periods without relying on fixed infrastructure.

From an industrial perspective, the program is equally significant. Around 60 percent of the system’s value will go to Polish companies, strengthening national production capacity and reducing reliance on foreign suppliers.

Key domestic players include PIT RADWAR, Jelcz, Rosomak, Huta Stalowa Wola, Mesko and Transbit, while Kongsberg contributes experience in large scale system integration.

The total program cost is estimated at about 15 billion Polish zloty, largely financed through the European SAFE instrument. Initial operational capability is expected before the end of 2026, with full deployment planned within 24 months of contract signing.

A Direct Response to Real Incursions

SAN is not a theoretical exercise. Its rapid approval follows multiple confirmed drone incursions linked to the war in Ukraine, including a September 2025 incident in which Russian drones crossed into Polish airspace, prompting Warsaw to invoke NATO Article 4 consultations.

Polish defense officials have repeatedly cited recovered drone wreckage in eastern Poland as proof that the threat is no longer hypothetical. The night of September 9 to 10, 2025, when Russian drones entered Allied territory, is now widely described by Polish leaders as a doctrinal turning point.

SAN will form a core pillar of Poland’s broader Eastern Shield defense initiative, complementing traditional air and missile defense systems with a scalable, specialized counter drone layer focused on saturation attacks and persistent low cost threats.

With its open architecture, heavy automation and sheer physical footprint, SAN sets a new benchmark for how NATO countries may defend critical infrastructure and borders in a world where drones are no longer niche tools but strategic weapons.

DroneXL’s Take

SAN is less about building a wall and more about acknowledging reality. Drones have broken the economics of air defense, and Poland is one of the first European countries to respond at true battlefield scale.

By combining guns, rockets, electronic warfare and interceptor drones instead of betting everything on missiles, SAN looks like a blueprint for the next decade of counter drone defense. Expect other NATO states to study this system closely, not because it is flashy, but because it is brutally practical.

Photo credit: Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej 🇵🇱 @MON_GOV_PL