Drone technology as a common defense pillar for the Philippines and Poland

Drone technology extends human capability into the three D’s – tasks that are dull, dirty, or dangerous, while opening new defense economic opportunities and innovation. The first Self-Reliant Defense Posture Summit, hosted by the Naval Sea Systems Command of the Philippine Navy last July 30, 2025, showcased milestones in indigenous defense development made possible through multi-sectoral and whole-of-nation efforts in the Philippines. Filipino-engineered models of unmanned surface vessels (USVs) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were prominently exhibited to the public. Local production of drones and USVs served as a good start for the archipelagic Southeast Asian state to safeguard its contested air and maritime domains against conventional firepower.

Meanwhile, Poland has launched a “drone revolution” on July 26, 2025, allocating USD 55 M toward unmanned aerial systems and establishing a national drone center known as “Project SZERSZE“, and founding specialized drone laboratories while leveraging 3D printing technologies for on-site design, testing, and repairs. The Polish military continues to expand its FlyEye mini-UAS fleet with thermal imaging with over 2.5-hour flight capabilities. Warsaw has also begun leasing General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper drones and signed a USD 130 M contract for MQ-9B SkyGuardian deliveries starting in 2017.

The first drone flew under control in March 1917, known as the “Aerial Target”, a British radio-controlled aircraft from the First World War. The first commercial drone marketed in 1935 and called the “deHavilland Queen Bee”, a tiger moth aircraft that could take off from sea or land. The first UAVs transformed as war weapons were launched by the Austrian army in 1849. But modern armed drones took a center stage in warfare when the US used drone strikes in Pakistan on June 19, 2004, beginning a covert war that would kill thousands of people.

Today, precision-hits of drone targets and swarming are common features of the Russia-Ukraine war, Israel-Iran conflict, and flashpoint areas in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. During the Marawi Siege in Mindanao in 2017, the Philippines’ armed forces used drones for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions which marked a significant instance of drone usage in urban warfare in Southeast Asia. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Poland immediately established drone labs across Polish military units as Moscow bombarded Kyiv with long-range strikes of kamikaze-drones capable of carrying explosive warheads for hundreds of miles. China, on the other hand, penetrated Philippines’ seabed and internal waters using submersible drones between 2022 and 2024.

While all nations across the globe are fascinated with the enormous potential of drone markets for defense, surveillance, innovation, agriculture, education, and mapping—middle power states like the Philippines and Poland are rapidly militarizing their drone capabilities in response to the evolving regional security environment. Direct Philippines-Poland drone cooperation and the building of compatible ecosystems must be fostered to offer broader defense technology and transfer of technology between Southeast Asia and Central Europe. The two Christian states must open foreign partnerships, bilateral defense and aerospace deals.

While Warsaw currently enjoys a robust national defense industry, manufacturing and research and development (R&D) capacity which are essential for self-reliant defense posture—it can also help the Philippines’ urgent operational needs in terms of maritime and food security. Both countries can share maritime domain awareness through drone technology, help in disaster resilience, and border patrols. Poland can also export technology to the Philippines with training and maintenance skills. Manila can benefit from Warsaw in terms of transferred capabilities, maritime surveillance, and long-endurance tactical drones for the Bureau of Fisheries, and anti-smuggling patrols for dual-use systems for the Coast Guard and civilian fleets.

More importantly, the Philippines and Poland can co-develop assembly lines, maintenance hubs, or licensed manufacturing for simple and tactical USVs and UAVs, as well as spare parts to reduce logistical delays. A bilateral defense agreement is necessary using the existing Philippines-Poland defense cooperation framework as a base; but it must include a dedicated unmanned systems annex. Polish military UAVs often fall under the European Union and Polish arms export rules, and Filipino defense industrialists must agree on data sharing and no-transfer clauses. Both nations must set rules on joint Intellectual Property and data policy, starting with low-risk and value-added cases such as ISR, training and doctrine development on the use of drone technologies, as well as counter-UAS integration. Testing Filipino and Polish drone systems during Balikatan military exercises would be an ideal opportunity to address UAV threats from foreign aggressors and evaluate the interoperability of emerging drone technologies.

Lastly, there must be licensed assembly for spare parts and basic airframe for Polish UAVs, then expand to local manufacturing of certain components. Joint R&D must be developed for “tropicalized” drones with heat-resistant batteries, corrosion-proof casings and humidity-tolerant sensors, combining Polish engineering with Philippine field testing. The use of military base workshops in both countries requires openness to produce quick-turn replacement parts during operations. Poland brings manufacturing muscle, NATO-level doctrine, and combat-tested drone tech while the Philippines offers a strategic Indo-Pacific location, operational diversity, and a proving ground for tropical maritime environments for larger drone development and innovation.

Picture credits: Łukasiewicz – Institute of Aviation