Poland installs first counterdrone radar near Belarus border
Poland has begun installing counterdrone systems near the Belarusian border (Photo: REUTERS/Kuba Stezycki)
Poland has begun deploying its first counterdrone systems along the border with Belarus to detect, monitor, and eventually neutralize unmanned aerial vehicles, Polish media reported on Dec. 23.
The first elements of the system were installed on an observation tower near the town of Krynki in the Podlaskie region, Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said. A radar mounted on the more than 70-meter tower is the first operational component of a broader radar network that authorities plan to expand to four additional towers already built along the border.
Kierwinski said the radar is expected to become operational in January.
At the initial stage, the system will be capable of detecting, locating, and tracking objects approaching from the eastern direction. Authorities plan to later add drone neutralization capabilities.
Data collected by the system will be transmitted to an electronic monitoring center overseeing the border barrier with Belarus in Bialystok, as well as to Border Guard units operating in the area. Polish media reported that the system was fully developed and manufactured by Polish companies.
Poland has stepped up border security measures amid heightened regional tensions. Beginning at midnight on Sept. 12, the country suspended traffic at all border crossings with Belarus in response to the launch of joint Russian-Belarusian military exercises, Zapad-2025. Prime Minister Donald Tusk previously described the drills as aggressive and a potential threat to Poland.
Road traffic was halted at the Terespol-Brest crossing for passenger vehicles and at Kukuryki-Kozlovichi for freight trucks, while three rail crossings used for cargo transport were also closed.
On Nov. 17, Poland partially reopened the border, resuming operations at two crossings in Kuznica and Bobrowniki that had been closed for four and two and a half years, respectively.
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