Poland’s Air Force Inspector, Major General Ireneusz Nowak, confirmed the country will arm its PZL M28 Bryza twin-turboprop transport for counter-drone intercept missions, with a first prototype set to undergo modification after a contract between the Armed Forces Support Inspectorate and PZL Mielec is signed.
“Following the signing of the contract between the Armed Forces Support Inspectorate and the contractor, the first prototype of the armed [M28] will undergo modifications to equip the aircraft with gun armament,” Nowak said at the Defence24 Days conference, during a panel on achieving air dominance.
The program draws directly from Ukraine’s combat record. Ukrainian crews flying the An-28, the M28’s Soviet-era predecessor, have recorded more than 150 confirmed kills against Shahed-series loitering munitions and other Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), according to open-source tracking. That aircraft, initially armed with a six-barrel M134 Minigun pintle-mounted in the cabin door, has since been adapted to launch interceptor drones in flight, extending its engagement capability well beyond gun range.
A passenger An-28 aircraft armed with miniguns is shooting down Russian drones over Ukraine, French TF1 got an inside. The crew consists of civilian volunteers who have already destroyed nearly 150 drones during air defense missions. #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/x1E921TPT2
— NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) February 5, 2026
PZL Mielec, the sole manufacturer of the M28, has proposed three distinct armed configurations. Options include door-mounted 7.62mm M134 miniguns, a rear-mounted 12.7mm heavy machine gun, underwing 70mm rocket pods, and 20mm cannons fitted to the landing gear nacelles. The M28’s high-wing design and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capability, permitting operations from runways as short as 500 meters, provide clean lateral firing arcs and access to forward airstrips suited for persistent intercept patrols. Shahed-type drones cruise at roughly 112 mph, well within the speed envelope of a throttled-back turboprop.
Nowak also confirmed that other, undisclosed aircraft types will be fielded alongside the M28 in a counter-drone capacity. Poland’s forthcoming AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters and AW149 combat support helicopters are expected to take on similar roles, with the AW149 slated for laser-guided 70mm rockets.
