Poland shifts to home-grown defence makers as it expands Europe's largest army

Poland's defence budget is set to hit about €53 billion this year, the fourth-largest in the EU, as it strives to field the biggest land army in Europe. Procurement from Polish and neighbouring Central European firms has surged to 30.4 billion zlotys, a near four-fold rise since 2022, according to the Armaments Agency. While high-profile systems like Patriot missiles, Abrams tanks and F-35 jets remain vital, officials are prioritising domestic production of drones, ammunition and short-range air-defence gear to ensure rapid resupply.

Czech-based CSG and German Rheinmetall have inked contracts worth over €100 million each to expand ammunition and vehicle component output in Poland, and Polish groups such as Grupa Niewiadow are partnering with foreign firms to boost 155 mm shell production. Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz framed the shift as essential for supply-chain resilience, and Deputy State Assets Minister Konrad Golota stressed that foreign suppliers must invest locally to sell in Poland. The initiative reflects a wider European trend toward "near-shoring" defence manufacturing after the Ukraine conflict strained stockpiles.