Speaking at a signing ceremony at the Polish Army Museum in Warsaw, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the EUR 175 million PERUN programme would provide a major boost to Polish science, technology and industry while helping modernise the armed forces.
"We are writing a new chapter in the history of the Polish military," Tusk said.
The PERUN programme, a joint initiative of the defence ministry, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBiR), aims to support the development of advanced military technologies and innovation in Poland's defence sector, state news agency PAP reported.
Tusk said in a social media post that the programme would provide PLN 753 million (around EUR 175 million, USD 200 million) in funding for 29 "groundbreaking" research and industrial projects.
He said investment in advanced defence technologies would strengthen Poland's deterrence capabilities.
"Investing in modern technologies and the combat capabilities of our armed forces makes any potential aggressor think twice before planning hostile actions against Poland," Tusk said.
Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said lessons from Russia's war in Ukraine showed that while conventional military equipment remained essential, technological innovation increasingly determined success on the battlefield.
"The experience of the war in Ukraine shows that an army begins with traditional equipment, but new technologies provide the advantage," Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
He said the newly funded projects cover a broad range of capabilities, including drones, counter-drone systems, long-range precision strike technologies, artificial intelligence, satellite surveillance, cyber capabilities and maritime systems.
Kosiniak-Kamysz said Poland was developing military capabilities across all operational domains—land, air, sea, underwater, cyberspace and space—while incorporating lessons learned from the war in neighbouring Ukraine.
He reiterated the government's goal of building Europe's strongest military by 2030, measured not only by troop numbers but also by operational capabilities.
He added that more than 40 percent of Poland's military procurement now comes from domestic manufacturers, up from around 20 percent when Tusk's coalition government took office.
The government's target is to raise that share to 50 percent, according to Kosiniak-Kamysz.
Poland has sharply increased defence spending since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and has launched a series of procurement and modernisation programmes aimed at strengthening its armed forces and expanding its domestic defence industry.