On Friday, January 30, 2026, at the facilities of PIT-Radwar in Kobyłka, in the presence of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, and Secretary of State at the Ministry of National Defence Paweł Bejda, a contract worth approximately 15 billion PLN net (18.45 billion PLN gross) was signed for the delivery of battery modules of air defense systems with the capability to counter unmanned aerial systems, procured under the San program.
Photos: corporal Wojciech Król/MOND, Polish Armaments Group
“The contract for San – an innovative system to counter unmanned aerial vehicles – has been signed! Eighteen battery modules worth several billion zlotys, financed from the SAFE fund. This is the first anti-drone shield system of its kind in Europe. We are using modern technologies and the capabilities of the Polish defense industry to effectively protect our citizens, especially in eastern Poland. Building the San system is not only about security, but also about strengthening our economy and industrial development. This is a great day for Poland,” said Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz after the signing of the contract for the delivery of components of the San counter-drone system (the European Commission approved Poland’s applications under the SAFE program).
As the Minister of National Defence emphasized, the San system is not a single piece of military equipment. It is an integrated system of interconnected elements: effectors, sensors, and means of countering aerial threats, both conventional air threats, helicopter threats, and above all threats posed by unmanned aerial vehicles.
“We are talking about 18 anti-drone system batteries, 52 fire platoons, 18 command platoons, and 703 vehicles – around 400 based on Jelcz platforms and 300 based on the Legwan platform. All of this means that we will be able to counter threats coming from the east with exceptional effectiveness. The night of September 9–10, 2025, when our airspace was violated and Russian unmanned aerial vehicles appeared over NATO territory for the first time, was a turning point. It was the moment when we all asked ourselves what more could be done. Research on this equipment lasted many months – integrating and connecting all elements into a single, well-functioning system. This is an extensive and multi-layered system, developed both by the Polish Armaments Group and by partners: APS from Gdynia and Kongsberg from Norway. San is a multi-stage and multi-layer system,” the Minister of National Defence emphasized.
On behalf of the Armament Agency, the contract was signed by Brigadier General Michał Marciniak, the Minister of National Defence’s Plenipotentiary for the Construction of the Integrated Air and Missile Defense System.
The contract, concluded between the State Treasury–Armament Agency and a consortium comprising the Polish Armaments Group (PGZ, as the lead contractor) and Norway’s Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA), with the Polish company Advanced Protection Systems (APS) as a key subcontractor, covers the delivery of 18 battery modules (BMO) of air defense systems capable of countering unmanned aerial systems. A single battery module will consist of three fire platoons and one support platoon. Each fire platoon will have full capabilities for the independent detection, tracking, identification, and engagement of aerial targets (Advanced Protection Systems and Kongsberg Form Polish-Norwegian Partnership for Countering Drones).
The contract is part of the National Deterrence and Defense Program East Shield. As a result of its implementation, the first three fire platoons of the first battery will be delivered to the Polish Armed Forces by the end of 2026. Completion of deliveries of the entire system is expected within 24 months of the contract’s signing.
The San air defense systems will complement the developing multi-layered integrated air and missile defense system by adding scalable kinetic and non-kinetic capabilities to counter unmanned aerial systems. These systems will initially secure the eastern border of the Republic of Poland, providing effective and low-cost countermeasures against unmanned aerial attack assets.
Each fire platoon will be equipped with a command-and-control post (APS’s SanView) and a range of effectors, including kinetic systems, such as 70-mm Hydra rockets with WGU-59/B APKWS II (Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System) laser guidance kits, as well as artillery systems, including the 35-mm SA-35 self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (offered by PIT-Radwar), remotely operated Protector MCT-30 (Medium Caliber Turret) weapon stations from Kongsberg, and the 12.7-mm WLKM multi-barrel machine gun (manufactured by ZM Tarnów) mounted on the LPR Legwan 4×4 chassis. The platoons will also field non-kinetic countermeasures, along with radar stations (FIELDctrl Ultra and Follow, produced by APS). In addition, each fire platoon will include a counter-UAS system based on MEROPS unmanned platforms, as well as an ammunition vehicle.
The support platoon will be equipped with a battery-level command post (based on solutions used in the Pilica system), integrating the three fire platoons and ensuring communications with higher echelons. It will also field additional radar sensors (Xenta-M) for detecting aerial threats and an IFF friend-or-foe identification system. Furthermore, the support platoon will include radar and artillery workshops, fuel tankers, transport vehicles, and reconnaissance vehicles supplied by companies from the Polish defense industry.
During the ceremony in Kobyłka, a total of three contracts were signed. The first, establishing the consortium, was signed by PGZ President Adam Leszkiewicz, PGZ First Vice President Arkadiusz Bąk, and Eirik Lie, President of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace. The subcontracting agreement with APS Advanced Protection Systems was signed by PGZ President Adam Leszkiewicz, PGZ First Vice President Arkadiusz Bąk, and APS Advanced Protection Systems S.A. President Maciej Klemm. The third agreement, the contract for the delivery of the San system, was signed by Brig. Gen. Michał Marciniak, Deputy Head of the Armament Agency and the Minister of National Defence’s Plenipotentiary for the Construction of the Integrated Air and Missile Defense System, together with Adam Leszkiewicz, Arkadiusz Bąk, and Eirik Lie.
“This is one of the most important contracts strengthening Poland’s security. It is also a major commitment to deliver, in a record-short timeframe, a comprehensive, effective, and Europe’s first-of-its-kind system that will serve as a barrier against hostile aircraft. Fully aware of the responsibility and the challenge before us, together with our partners and in response to the Armament Agency’s order, we formed a consortium to provide the Armed Forces with optimal solutions. The majority, around 60%, of the components of the San system will come from companies within the Polish Armaments Group. This demonstrates not only the competence and innovation of our facilities, but also their potential to respond rapidly to contemporary threats,” said Adam Leszkiewicz, President of the Management Board of the Polish Armaments Group. “Participation in this project, assuming full responsibility and making a public commitment to its delivery, are the essence of PGZ’s role, as a state-owned company, as the leader and integrator of the Polish defense industry and as an instrument for strengthening Poland’s security,” he added.
“The San systems will form part of a multi-layered, integrated air and missile defense system, whose successive tiers, Wisła, Narew, and Pilica+, are being developed primarily within companies of the Polish Armaments Group. What distinguishes the SAN system, however, is its cost-effectiveness resulting from the use of kinetic and non-kinetic effectors – solutions specifically designed to counter low-cost-to-produce but operationally dangerous drone threats. In addition, a major advantage of the SAN air defense system will be its open architecture, enabling the integration of additional effectors and sensors in the future. This is a crucial feature given the rapid development of unmanned aerial systems and the threats they pose,” emphasized Arkadiusz Bąk, First Vice President of the Management Board of the Polish Armaments Group.
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