Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is visiting India with a large business delegation as Warsaw seeks defense cooperation and aims to double bilateral trade by 2030.
Poland’s Prime Minister’s Office said representatives of almost 100 companies are accompanying Tusk on his Oct. 21-26 trip to India and Vietnam. It named the defense industry among its priorities for cooperation with India. The countries formed a strategic partnership in 2024, when Tusk offered Polish help with military modernization.
India’s Ministry of Defence signed contracts on Aug. 14 worth about Rs 1,577 crore with TATA Advanced Systems Limited and NIBE Private Limited for Army loitering munitions. The purchases fall under the Buy (Indian) category, underscoring the role of domestic suppliers in India’s defense procurement.
The Army’s 2024 call for drone demonstrations specified tests at an altitude of 4,000 to 5,000 meters at Wari La, near Leh. The Ministry of Defence identified thin air, extreme cold and strong winds as obstacles to drone performance at that altitude.
Polish manufacturer WB Group offers a separate example of how battlefield use can shape drone development. The company says it has been active in Ukraine since 2014, supplying reconnaissance systems. It says its FLYEYE surveillance drone has been used there since 2015 and its WARMATE family of loitering munitions has been deployed since 2017.
WB Group says its SWARM system connects FLYEYE reconnaissance with WARMATE strikes through integrated communications and support. The European Commission has identified links between research and production, manufacturing scale and continued technological improvement as lessons from Ukraine. Together, the accounts illustrate the importance of integrating and updating drone systems, while India’s mountain conditions present a distinct performance requirement.
Poland’s trade goal gives its defense firms an incentive to pursue Indian business, while India’s procurement decisions show its emphasis on domestic sourcing. Tusk is scheduled to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, Oct. 22, before attending a New Delhi business forum scheduled for the visit later that day.
