Poland WB Group Unveils GLADIUS 2 Jet-Powered Strike Drone for 250 Km Deep Strikes in GPS-Denied Warfare.

Poland is moving toward fielding the new GLADIUS 2, also designated WARMATE 30, a jet-powered long-range strike drone designed to operate beyond 250 km and remain effective when satellite navigation is denied. Unveiled by WB Group at MSPO 2026 in Kielce on September 8, the drone combines onboard artificial intelligence, reduced radar and thermal signatures and low-altitude flight to strengthen Poland’s ability to conduct deep strikes in Russian-style electronic-warfare and air-defense environments.

Three GLADIUS 2 drones were displayed during WB Group’s Premiere Day at the 34th International Defense Industry Exhibition. The Polish Armed Forces have already ordered the system, and it has entered low-rate production, indicating the program is progressing from development toward operational deployment.

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WB Group’s new GLADIUS 2 WARMATE 30 jet-powered long-range strike drone displayed at MSPO 2026 in Kielce Poland. (Picture source: Army Recognition Group)

The most important capability is range. WB Group describes GLADIUS 2 as capable of reaching targets at “several hundred kilometers,” with information released around MSPO placing the figure above 250 km. This gives Polish forces a weapon capable of attacking command posts, air-defense radars, electronic-warfare systems, artillery positions, ammunition depots and logistics nodes far beyond the immediate front line.

GLADIUS 2 uses a flying-wing configuration designed to reduce radar and thermal signatures. It is powered by a Polish-made turbojet engine developed within WB Group, giving the drone higher speed than the propeller-driven loitering munitions commonly used for long-range one-way attacks. Higher speed reduces flight time and shortens the reaction window available to enemy air-defense units.

The design places GLADIUS 2 in a different category from Iranian-designed Shahed and Russian Geran drones, which rely on relatively simple propeller propulsion and massed attacks. The Polish drone adds jet propulsion, reduced detectability, and navigation intended to function without continuous satellite positioning, suggesting a stronger emphasis on penetrating defended airspace rather than relying mainly on numbers.

It also differs from Russia’s Lancet family, which is primarily used against tactical targets closer to the front. With a range exceeding 250 km, GLADIUS 2 is intended for operational-depth strikes, placing it between tactical loitering munitions and more expensive conventional cruise missiles.

The drone is not a substitute for a cruise missile, which normally carries a larger warhead and offers different speed and penetration characteristics. Instead, GLADIUS 2 could give Polish commanders a more scalable deep-strike option, allowing expensive missiles to be reserved for the hardest targets while long-range drones attack radars, command posts, logistics facilities, and other high-value objectives.

Another major feature is the ability to operate without continuous dependence on satellite navigation. According to information disclosed during MSPO, GLADIUS 2 uses onboard artificial intelligence to support navigation when GNSS signals are jammed or unavailable, directly addressing a central challenge created by modern Russian electronic warfare.

This capability is particularly relevant to lessons from Ukraine, where GPS and other satellite navigation signals are routinely disrupted. A strike drone that can continue its mission through a GNSS-denied area has a better chance of reaching targets protected by electronic-warfare systems. WB Group has not, however, publicly stated that the AI capability includes autonomous target selection.

GLADIUS 2 is also designed for low-altitude flight, which can reduce detection range by exploiting terrain and the limited radar horizon of ground-based sensors. Polish defense reporting suggests terrain-following flight may also be possible, although detailed performance parameters have not been publicly confirmed.

The combination of low altitude, reduced radar signature and jet propulsion is operationally significant against layered air defenses. GLADIUS 2 has not yet demonstrated that it can penetrate an integrated Russian air-defense network in combat, but its design clearly addresses the detection, tracking and interception challenges posed by such defenses.

The drone is launched with rocket assistance from a containerized launcher and is intended to operate within the wider GLADIUS reconnaissance-strike system. Existing GLADIUS units connect reconnaissance drones, strike drones, launchers and command elements through WB Group’s TOPAZ Integrated Combat Management System, linking target detection with engagement.

This networked approach becomes increasingly important as strike range grows. A weapon capable of flying more than 250 km requires accurate intelligence on targets located far beyond tactical observation range, making integration with reconnaissance drones, electronic intelligence and other sensors essential for engaging mobile command posts, radars and artillery systems.

Poland is also expanding investment in the wider GLADIUS, FLYEYE and WARMATE families as part of a broader effort to increase domestic unmanned reconnaissance and strike capacity. The move into low-rate production therefore matters beyond the MSPO unveiling because it supports Poland’s goal of building larger inventories of locally produced precision weapons for high-intensity conflict.

For NATO, GLADIUS 2 could add a new European-built deep-strike capability on the eastern flank. Its combination of 250-plus-kilometer range, AI-supported GNSS-denied navigation, low-altitude flight, reduced detectability and Polish turbojet propulsion places it between mass-produced Shahed/Geran-type attack drones, shorter-range Lancet loitering munitions and significantly more expensive cruise missiles.

If the drone achieves its expected performance in operational service, Poland will gain another means of threatening Russian-style command networks, electronic-warfare systems, air-defense components, artillery and logistics infrastructure far behind the front. Its importance lies not only in range, but in giving Poland a domestically controlled deep-strike weapon designed specifically for the electronic-warfare and air-defense conditions expected in a NATO-Russia confrontation.

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Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.