US defence company Shield AI may invest in Poland, PM says
Shield AI, an innovative US defence company focusing on autonomous systems, is interested in investing in Poland, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday.
"Yesterday I met with representatives of the American company Shield AI," Tusk said, adding that the defence firm is "an extremely ambitious company, particularly in terms of its technological capabilities".
"We're talking, amongst other things, about unmanned aerial vehicles," Tusk continued. "In our conversation, the company's executives confirmed unequivocally that Poland is at the centre of their attention. And it is here in Poland that they intend to invest their money and their technologies."
Tusk went on to say that he had expressed his government's interest in supporting the initiative.
"This cooperation seems extremely interesting in terms of security, the modernisation of our armed forces, but also business and technology. We are talking about thousands of jobs and billions of dollars invested. Our American partners intend for Poland to be a centre, a hub. Among other things, this concerns the refurbishment of F-16 engines. Poland would be a unique location on the map of Europe in this field. This is also very promising," he added.
Last week, Tusk announced at a conference at the Warsaw Stock Exchange that Shield AI intends to cooperate with Poland and manufacture components in the country for its autonomous fighter jet programme, the X-BAT.
The X-BAT would be the world's first artificial intelligence-controlled vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) fighter jet. (PAP)
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