Poland eyes deeper Philippines defence ties following Black Hawk deal

Poland’s delivery of Black Hawk helicopters to the Philippines has given Warsaw a foothold in Manila’s defence market as it seeks to expand exports from its growing defence industry, with analysts saying drones, air defence and potentially co-production could pave the way for a broader partnership. Polish deputy foreign minister Wladyslaw Bartoszewski said on Tuesday that Warsaw was keen to pursue further defence partnerships with the Philippines, as Poland has poured US$50 billion into strengthening its defence industry and expanding exports. His comments came after the Philippines received its final seven S-70i Black Hawk helicopters in August. Manila acquired 32 of the helicopters in a US$509.6 million deal signed in 2022 with PZL Mielec, a Polish subsidiary of Sikorsky, which is owned by US defence contractor Lockheed Martin. Bartoszewski said Poland wanted to sell reconnaissance and combat drones, radar equipment, anti-aircraft missiles and armoured personnel carriers to Manila, Reuters reported, adding that a Philippine military delegation had recently visited Poland to explore other potential acquisitions. Analysts said the push reflected Poland’s ambition to become a more significant defence manufacturer and exporter at a time when the war in Ukraine and uncertainty over transatlantic security had accelerated European rearmament. “We can see this in Warsaw’s push to indigenise its defence capabilities, driven in part by the changing security environment in Europe, including the ‘Trump effect’ on Nato and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” said Joshua Espena, an international relations lecturer at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. Espena added that Warsaw’s outreach suggested a deliberate effort to move away from an import-heavy defence ecosystem and build greater domestic production capacity. Poland’s Black Hawk helicopters show it has developed its manufacturing capabilities enough to compete with traditional military suppliers while providing cost-effectiveness and interoperability, according to Chester Cabalza, president and founder of the Manila-based International Development and Security Cooperation think tank. “Poland’s S70i Black Hawk was co-developed with the US,” he said. “The helicopters it sold to the Philippines are signs that it can fare better in terms of interoperability and cost-effectiveness compared to other hard power.” Vincent Kyle Parada, a foreign-policy analyst at policy advisory firm FACTS Asia, said that though most Polish arms exports currently went to Ukraine, Warsaw offered lower prices than leading Western manufacturers while remaining fully compliant with Nato standards. Parada said Polish equipment presented advantages as it was “tried and tested on the battlefield against Russia”, adding that Poland’s own history of hostilities with Moscow had helped develop its outsize military capacity and institutional interoperability with Nato allies. This offered clear advantages to Manila, he said, as Polish capabilities closely aligned with the Philippines’ current defence requirements. “Throughout past iterations of Balikatan [annual joint drills], we’ve seen a greater emphasis on coastal defence and anti-landing exercises. Heavy artillery systems like Poland’s AHS Krab are key to this. They can suppress and destroy enemy forces from a distance as they attempt to establish a beachhead,” Parada said. The Philippines faced a severe deficit in air defence capabilities, he added, with its military mostly restricted to three batteries of the Israeli Spyder system. To bridge this gap, Parada said Manila could look towards Poland’s domestically produced Piorun portable air-defence system, which had become a highly sought-after export among Nordic and Eastern European countries bordering Russia. “For the Philippines, acquiring such systems fills a critical capability gap when it comes to short-range air defence, allowing troops to threaten low-flying aircraft and drones in support of ground operations,” he said, leaving more sophisticated systems to deal with higher-altitude threats. Analysts say Warsaw is also ramping up drone development to adapt to evolving battlefield tactics, producing variants that can serve as interceptors against incoming missiles. “Exports range from reconnaissance drones to one-way attack drones similar to what we’ve seen in Iran and Ukraine,” Parada said, adding that while Philippine military officials had shown interest in unmanned systems, tangible progress towards the acquisition of lethal drones had yet to happen. Co-production opportunities Observers said there was an opportunity for Manila to deepen its defence ties with Warsaw through joint drone production, particularly as Poland positioned itself as a competitive player within the European Union’s Defence Technological and Industrial Base. “If this trajectory continues … it could also provide Warsaw with a platform for expanding defence-industrial linkages with Indo-Pacific partners such as the Philippines,” Espena said. Poland and the Philippines both faced “the same strategic ambiguity in terms of their national security”, Cabalza said, adding that the “historic delivery” of Polish Black Hawks not only made the Philippines the largest operator globally of that variant of the helicopter, but also “shows a common strategic collaboration”. Poland could also help the Philippines develop autonomous drones to strengthen its asymmetric warfare capabilities, he said. Espena agreed, adding that Poland’s defence-industrial cooperation with South Korea was also “worth watching, including in air defence and armoured systems”. “The Philippines could potentially leverage existing Manila–Warsaw–Seoul linkages to develop a more diversified and resilient defence supply chain,” he said. However, logistics and supply chain constraints could complicate broader collaboration, Parada said. “Apart from Ukraine, the rest of Poland’s exports mainly cater to Europe,” he said. “It’s reflective of Poland’s emerging status as a regional rearmament hub rather than a global arms exporter.”

Poland eyes deeper Philippines defence ties following Black Hawk deal

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Warsaw is targeting drones, air defence and artillery exports to Manila as European rearmament fuels global arms ambitions

Warsaw is targeting drones, air defence and artillery exports to Manila as European rearmament fuels global arms ambitions