By Olha Hembik | 2026-03-13

Russia's war in Ukraine exposed cheap drones as one of the most destabilizing weapons in modern warfare. Poland, which watched Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) cross its border for the first time last September, is now deploying SAN -- Europe's first dedicated anti-drone shield -- built to stop the threat economically and at scale.

The SAN system will reach full combat readiness within two years. Experts estimate its cost at approximately 15 billion PLN (about €3.6 billion), funded through the EU's Security Action For Europe (SAFE) program.

SAN is an integrated complex linking actuators, sensors and countermeasures against aerial threats. It neutralizes UAVs, loitering munitions and cruise missiles at low altitudes, including those launched from helicopters. The system combines artillery, missile and drone solutions to complement Poland's multi-layered air defense architecture.

A historic moment

The state-owned Polish Armaments Group (PGZ), private firm Advanced Protection Systems of Gdynia and Norwegian company Kongsberg jointly manufacture the system.

On January 30, during a signing ceremony at the PIT-RADWAR plant in Warsaw, Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the event a "historic moment."

"I never overuse this phrase, but today we are indeed witnessing an absolute breakthrough in the effective defense of the eastern borders of Poland, Europe and NATO," he said.

Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz called SAN "the first anti-drone system of its kind in Europe" and said its development signals both security and economic growth.

SAN forms part of Poland's broader "East Shield" deterrence program, slotting into a layered national air defense network that works like a series of overlapping shields, each designed to catch different threats at different ranges. At the top end, the Wisła system uses American Patriot missiles to intercept long-range threats. Closer in, the Narew system fires British CAMM missiles at targets up to 20 kilometers (about 12 miles) away. For the shortest ranges, the Polish-built Pilica and Pilica+ systems deploy domestically produced Grom and Piorun missiles. SAN now adds a dedicated anti-drone layer to this stack -- purpose-built for the cheap UAVs that none of the other systems were designed to handle cost-effectively.

Military expert Jerzy Mazur said the layered approach makes the defense system both resilient and flexible.

"In the face of potential threats from the East, protected skies are a manifestation of responsibility and control. It has always been the case that whoever controls the airspace owns the situation -- reducing risks to civilians, complicating the enemy's actions, and demonstrating the strength of the state," he told Kontur.

The September wake-up call

The urgency behind SAN crystallized on the night of September 9-10, 2025, when roughly two dozen Russian UAVs violated Polish airspace -- the first time Russian drones had appeared over NATO territory. Most were Gerbera decoy drones, made largely from polystyrene and plywood, estimated to cost $10,000-$20,000 each. At least three were shot down using AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, each costing approximately $2 million to $2.5 million.

Tusk said the incident exposed how "inefficient" fighter jets and expensive missiles are against cheap drones. Kosiniak-Kamysz called it the primary catalyst for the SAN program. "It was a moment when we all wondered what more could be done," he said.

When fully operational, SAN will consist of 18 anti-drone batteries, 52 fire platoons, 18 command platoons and 703 vehicles -- roughly 400 on the Jelcz wheeled chassis and 300 on the Legwan chassis -- allowing for rapid repositioning. Each fire platoon will independently detect, track, identify and destroy aerial targets.

"This is not just a single vehicle, but a massive organism consisting of radars, missiles and suppression systems. It even includes its own kamikaze drones," military expert and blogger Daniel Kukulski told Kontur.

Security and industry together

The war in Ukraine has forced Poland to rethink its security posture. Kukulski noted that Polish plants in Tarnów, Warsaw, Wrocław and Silesia will manufacture SAN's components, generating thousands of jobs and domestic technological development, even as the system relies partly on Norwegian technology.

Piotr Kaszuwara, founder of the Fundacja Przyszłość dla Ukrainy (UA Future), said the conflict demonstrated that modern warfare combines simultaneous attacks across multiple domains.

"The massive use of cruise missiles, ballistics, and cheap attack UAVs has demonstrated that the airspace is becoming one of the primary theaters of war," he told Kontur.

"The state has been investing effectively in its own military forces for a long time. We spend 5% of our GDP on the defense industry -- more than any other NATO country. We do this because we understand that only comprehensive readiness can guarantee security."