France and Poland to Develop Joint Military Satellite
France and Poland are to collaborate on a telecommunications satellite for the Polish army, with the project announced as Paris and Warsaw forge closer economic and defense links.
Thales Alenia Space, Airbus Defence and Space and the Polish firm Radmor will develop the geostationary satellite, which is intended to provide military communications for the Polish armed forces. The value of the contract has not been disclosed.
The project was discussed during a meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Gdansk and forms part of the European Commission's ReArm Europe Plan/Readiness 2030 initiative to strengthen the continent's defense capabilities by 2030.
Europe is also seeking to build up its own satellite infrastructure and reduce dependence on external providers, including Starlink. The planned geostationary satellite is to operate from a fixed position more than 30,000 km above Earth and can provide coverage across large areas.
Macron and Tusk also discussed nuclear deterrence and energy cooperation. The two countries signed a bilateral cooperation treaty last year, which includes provisions for mutual assistance.