The agreement, signed on December 15, 2025, will make it possible to define the terms and framework of cooperation, facilitating future joint scientific, educational, or technological projects – potentially covering advanced defense technologies and innovations.
/ Photo: WAT
Jim Price, Managing Director of MBDA Polska, said: “Signing the agreement with WAT is an important step in building MBDA’s position in Poland. Cooperation and the establishment of partnerships are part of our DNA, and we are very much looking forward to beginning cooperation with WAT in order to pursue our shared research and development goals in the defense domain.”
WAT educates engineers and specialists in air and missile defense, making the university a natural partner for MBDA. The main objective of the WAT–MBDA agreement is to build and develop cooperation in the areas of education, research, and expertise, particularly with regard to modern defense systems. This includes academic programs aligned with MBDA’s areas of activity, as well as internships and work placements for WAT students at MBDA.
During the signing of the agreement, Colonel Jacek Wojtas thanked MBDA for its support to date and stated that the agreement will help advance technology and strengthen Poland’s defense, as well as the air defense of the North Atlantic Alliance, especially on its eastern flank.
The meeting was also attended by academic and administrative staff of WAT’s Faculty of Mechatronics, Armament, and Aviation, as well as representatives of the Institute of Rocket Technology and Mechatronics of the same faculty, and representatives of MBDA.
In the coming years, a significant increase in employment and production is expected in the integrated air and missile defense sector. This will create strong demand for highly specialized engineers.
Starting from the 2025/2026 academic year, WAT’s Faculty of Mechatronics, Armament, and Aviation will launch two new civilian degree programs in mechatronics, focused on air defense, responding to the needs of the Polish defense industry.
The agreement supports the development of scientific and research-and-development cooperation, which is based on MBDA’s participation in Poland’s NAREW and PILICA+ air defense programs. These programs are critical to national defense and are implemented by companies from the PGZ S.A. Group, with MBDA as a partner.
MBDA is a supplier of CAMM/CAMM-ER missiles and launchers for the NAREW and PILICA+ programs under the United Kingdom–Poland agreement on air defense modernization. This cooperation includes an unprecedented transfer of knowledge and technology to Poland (Poland: The 34th Air Defense Missile Squadron Reinforced with Pilica Systems).
Based on a press release