Sweden boosts Ukraine aid with purchase of Polish drones

Minister Pål Jonson visited the Polish drone manufacturer, WB Group, and expressed appreciation for their innovative solutions. He emphasised that military cooperation between Poland and Sweden will develop further. "We need to have more balanced relationships in arms purchases between Poland and Sweden," Jonson said in an interview with "Rzeczpospolita".

So far, the Swedish government has allocated around €7 million for the drone coalition and demining. Meanwhile, the total value of the 18th military aid package for Ukraine is €1.09 billion. It is the largest aid package from Sweden since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.

Although it has not been disclosed which exact models of drones will be purchased, it is known that the Ukrainian army already has experience using the Polish drones Warmate and FlyEye. WB Group recently presented a new model of the Warmate 50 drone, which can be used for long-range tasks.

Warmate 50 is the latest unmanned strike system developed by the Polish company WB Group, presented during the 2024 International Defence Industry Exhibition (MSPO) in Kielce. Warmate 50 is equipped with a combat head weighing 110 pounds, which is a significant enhancement compared to previous versions of this system.

Unlike its predecessors, the new model does not offer the option to exchange the head, which is a deliberate approach aimed at maximising combat effectiveness at the expense of observational flexibility. This means that the Warmate 50 is dedicated solely to strike missions, eliminating the need for compromises related to multitasking.

Powered by an internal combustion engine, the Warmate 50 achieves an operational range of up to 620 miles. Such a distance allows it to hit targets deep within the territory of a potential adversary, making it a strategic tool in the armed forces' arsenal. For example, from Polish territory, the drone could reach the metropolitan area of Moscow.