Poland seeks to export weapons battlefield-tested in Ukraine to allies
Adam Leszkiewicz (photo: Getty Images)
Polish state defense company PGZ plans to more actively sell allies' military equipment that has been battlefield-tested in Ukraine, as well as dual-use products, company CEO Adam Leszkiewicz said, Bloomberg reported.
According to him, PGZ will expand exports of portable air-defense systems, artillery systems — including howitzers — and technologies that have proven effective on the Ukrainian front.
The company is also considering entering the private sector with dual-use products.
EU investing in defense sector development
The strengthening of Poland's defense ambitions comes amid a sweeping modernization of Europe's defense industry. After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, European countries sharply increased defense spending, and since 2022, Poland has effectively doubled its defense budget to nearly 5% of GDP.
The EU has launched the 150-billion-euro SAFE defense program, which finances joint European projects. Leszkiewicz emphasized that this opens new opportunities for PGZ — from technology exchanges to the production of equipment in partnership with major European manufacturers.
Leszkiewicz said that cooperation among European defense companies "has been missing for many, many years." "Today we are looking for partners to learn something, either to purchase or to jointly manufacture products based on new technology," he said.
Poland strengthens its position in Europe's defense industry
PGZ brings together 70 companies and employs 22,000 people. It already cooperates with Thales, BAE Systems, Rheinmetall, and the UK's Babcock on ammunition production, frigate, and armored vehicle programs.
The company is showing rapid growth — last year its sales increased by 36% to about 3.5 billion USD, and net profit rose by 92% to roughly 430 million USD. Leszkiewicz said PGZ aims to increase the share of exports and dual-use products to one-third of total revenue.
Rheinmetall earlier announced plans to build a joint ammunition plant in Ukraine. The memorandum to establish the joint venture was signed during the Munich Security Conference.
In August, it became known that the German defense group plans to double the capacity of the Ukrainian plant producing 155-mm artillery shells.
