France, Poland boost defence ties with military satellite project

Leonardo SpA

20/04/2026 14:00

By Gianluca Lo Nostro and Mateusz Rabiega

GDANSK, Poland, April 20 (Reuters) - France and Poland will build a telecommunications satellite for the Polish military, the companies involved in the project said on Monday, as Paris and Warsaw strengthen their economic and defence ties.

Thales Alenia Space TCFP.PA, Airbus Defence and Space AIR.PA and Poland's RADMOR will jointly develop a satellite in geostationary orbit, which will support military communications for Poland's armed forces.

The value of the deal, announced during French President Emmanuel Macron's meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in the Polish city of Gdansk on Monday, was not disclosed. The initiative is part of the European Commission's flagship Readiness defence plan to get the continent ready to defend itself by 2030, the companies said in a statement.

Europe has been seeking alternative, homegrown satellite services to counter global rivals and reduce reliance on Starlink amid growing concerns about the political unpredictability of its owner, tech billionaire Elon Musk.

Unlike Starlink's satellites in low Earth orbit, a geostationary spacecraft can cover large regions from a fixed position over 30,000 km above Earth, though with slower speeds.

Macron and Tusk, two of the most pro-European Union leaders in the bloc, will also discuss topics including nuclear deterrence and energy during the summit in Gdansk, the Elysee said on Thursday.

France and Poland, which has the highest defence spending as a percentage of GDP among NATO members, signed a cooperation treaty last year that includes a mutual assistance clause and a pledge to deepen military and technological links between the two countries.

(Reporting by Gianluca Lo Nostro and Mateusz Rabiega in Gdansk; Editing by Keith Weir)

((Mateusz.Rabiega@thomsonreuters.com; +48 58 769 67 57;))