Canada wants to buy Polish military equipment, and the first area of cooperation is expected to be unmanned systems. During his visit to Ottawa, Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, held talks with Canadian Defence Minister David McGuinty on deepening cooperation between the defence industries of both countries. The ministers signed a letter of intent intended to pave the way for closer cooperation between Polish and Canadian defence companies.
The most important signal concerns drones. According to information shared after the meeting, Canada is interested in Polish unmanned systems, including FlyEye, Warmate and Gladius. These systems are associated primarily with WB Group, one of Poland’s most recognizable military technology producers.
The significance of this announcement goes beyond the sale of equipment itself. Canada is not a random customer. It is a NATO member state that has been increasing defence spending, seeking new industrial partners and trying to diversify its arms procurement. Canadian documents indicate that the country’s defence spending in 2025–2026 is expected to reach 2.01 percent of GDP, while the share of spending on major military equipment is set to rise to 22.6 percent.
Polish drones are attractive because they are no longer merely catalogue products. FlyEye is a reconnaissance system used by the Polish Armed Forces and Ukraine, designed for observation, target indication, day and night operations, and functioning in conditions of electronic warfare. The manufacturer emphasizes that it is an entirely Polish solution, designed and produced domestically, giving the user greater control over modifications and deliveries.
Warmate, in turn, belongs to the category of loitering munitions — systems capable of reconnaissance and striking a target. Gladius is a larger reconnaissance-strike system that combines unmanned aircraft, effectors and a battle management system. In practice, this means that Poland is not offering Canada only individual drones, but an entire technological environment: reconnaissance, target indication, strike capability and integration with command systems.
The talks are taking place against the backdrop of the European Union’s SAFE programme — Security Action for Europe. This is an EU financial instrument worth up to €150 billion, designed to accelerate defence procurement and develop the European defence industrial base. The programme covers, among other things, drones, counter-drone systems, ammunition, air defence, cybersecurity and electronic warfare technologies.
Canada’s participation in SAFE has particular political significance. Ottawa has gained preferential access to projects financed under this instrument, and Canadian companies may be treated in them on terms similar to European firms. At the same time, cooperation with Poland shows that SAFE can work in both directions: not only opening Europe to Canadian industry, but also strengthening the export of defence technologies from countries such as Poland.
For Warsaw, a potential order from Canada would be an important image breakthrough. For years, Poland has been buying large quantities of military equipment abroad, but it is now increasingly trying to present itself also as an exporter of defence technologies. The sale of drones to a G7 country and NATO ally would prove that the Polish defence industry can compete not only on price, but also through operational experience, development speed and production flexibility.
It is also part of a broader shift in thinking about security. The war in Ukraine has shown that drones have become one of the key tools of the modern battlefield. They do not replace tanks, artillery or air defence, but they radically change the way reconnaissance, strikes and soldier protection are conducted. NATO countries are drawing conclusions from this, and Canada — like Poland — is looking for solutions that can be quickly implemented and developed.
For now, neither the value of future contracts nor the number of systems that could be delivered to the Canadian Armed Forces has been publicly disclosed. Politically, however, the signal is clear: Canada wants closer cooperation with Poland, and Polish drones have become one of the most promising export products of the country’s defence industry.
If the talks result in concrete orders, it will not only be a success for manufacturers. It will also be a symbolic moment for Polish security policy: a transition from the role of a country that mainly buys weapons to that of a state that supplies allies with technologies needed on the modern battlefield.
