This information was spreaded by Mariusz Błaszczak, Polish Minister of Defense.
According to the Minister, MQ-9A Reaper drones of the MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) class, leased from the USA as part of an urgent operational need, have arrived in Poland.
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"They will serve in the Polish Air Force, in particular, conduct reconnaissance on our eastern border," Błaszczak tweeted.
Polish defense minister Mariusz Błaszczak revealed on October 20 , 2022 that the country signed a lease agreement for the medium altitude, long-endurance (MALE) UAS, without revealing further details.
He only said the lease agreement was a bridging solution, which would be used until the defense ministry acquires its own unmanned reconnaissance system.
Błaszczak’s announcement comes after Poland revealed earlier this year it would be looking to buy the Reaper from the United States amid the deteriorating security situation in the region in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Polish defense procurement agency spokesman Krzysztof Platek told Reuters in March 2022 that the country planned an urgent procurement of drones in the short term, while continuing its Zefir MALE UAS program at the same time.
The multi-mission MQ-9 Reaper medium altitude, long-endurance (MALE) UAS has up to 26 hours of flight endurance and carries HD-video sensors (optical and IR), ground-imaging/MTI/maritime radar, and other surveillance sensors. The aircraft features an extensive payload capacity (386 kg internally, 1361 kg externally), with a maximum altitude of 45,000 feet/13,700 meters.
The Reaper lease is the latest in a series of major investments arranged by the Polish defense in 2022. These have included the purchase of K2 Black Panther tanks and K9 self-propelled howitzers from South Korea in deals worth around $5.7 billion, as well as the K239 Chunmoo multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS).
The MQ-9 Reaper is an American drone used by the United States, Britain, France, Spain and Italy. The drone is equipped with a Honeywell TPE331-10 turboprop engine, thanks to which the UAV has the effective range up to 1,800 kilometres.
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