Poland is rapidly building a comprehensive drone defense system (SAN) along its eastern border with Ukraine to protect critical infrastructure and bolster national security.

The project will fuse data from external sources and existing defense systems to create a coordinated, layered air defense network.

The SAN’s structure includes 18 drone defense batteries, 52 fire command posts, 18 command posts, and 703 vehicles, as disclosed by Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz.

It combines domestic and imported technologies—radars, sensors, cameras, interception drones, and artillery systems—to detect and neutralize drones in flight or at hover.

The SAN is part of a broader push to shield a 700-kilometer-plus segment of the eastern border with Belarus and Russia by the end of 2027, with initial deliveries anticipated this year.

Poland is investing roughly €3.5 billion in the SAN, with additional funding from EU instruments like the SAFE facility to support defense investments.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk stresses the system is defensive in nature, aimed at deterring aggression and making Poland’s borders effectively impenetrable to an aggressor.

Security assessments highlight the threat of fast, jet-powered drones used in conflicts and warn that accidental or disguised attacks could target NATO members, including Poland, underscoring the urgency of enhanced air defense.