The Polish government plans to spend $41.6 billion to modernize its military capabilities in 2024, upgrades that cover the purchase of equipment, including:
- new fighter jets for the Polish Air Force,
- combat and surveillance unmanned aerial vehicles to power the newly established Drone Force,
- training helicopters and ship-based helicopters to replace aging aircraft, and
- submarines to expand operations in the Baltic Sea.
The effort toward modernization is progressing even as this year’s MSPO defense expo opened in Kielce on Tuesday. The trade show, which runs until Friday, drew over 760 vendors to showcase their latest offerings for air, naval and land missions, runs until Friday.
Earlier, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in a speech in Warsaw that the defense budget boost forms part of his government’s agenda to build one of the largest militaries in the world.
“We must promise today to our compatriots, but also to the soldiers of the Polish Armed Forces, that we will build a most modern military … because today, innovation is power,” the premier said.
Among Warsaw’s major military purchases since Tusk assumed office in December 2023 is a $10 billion agreement to buy 96 AH-64E Apache helicopters from Boeing.