WB GROUP took part in a ceremony commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Warsaw–Tokyo–Warsaw flight. Held on 28 October at the Polish Embassy in Tokyo, the event also provided an opportunity to showcase unmanned systems from the WARMATE/GLADIUS family in the Japanese capital.
In 1926, two Polish military aviators – pilot Lieutenant Bolesław Orliński and mechanic Sergeant Leonard Kubiak – completed a flight from Warsaw to Tokyo and back. It was the first flight in aviation history between a European capital and the Japanese capital. A century later, their achievement remains a symbol of the courage of Polish aviators and an important milestone in the history of Polish-Japanese relations.
The centenary ceremony took place on 28 October 2026 (Japan local time) at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Tokyo. The event was hosted by Konrad Pawlik, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the Republic of Poland in Tokyo, and Colonel Maciej Remkowski, Defence Attaché.
For WB GROUP, the ceremony was an opportunity to present Polish unmanned systems in a country with which Poland is strengthening its strategic cooperation, including in the field of security. Japan remains one of the Group’s key markets of interest, while ties between the two countries’ defence industries offer opportunities for joint projects.
WB GROUP sees considerable potential in Polish-Japanese cooperation, particularly in exchanging expertise, combining industrial capabilities and pursuing joint projects involving various types of unmanned systems, both aerial and maritime.
Japan, together with the wider Asia-Pacific region, is one of WB GROUP’s most important priorities for developing international cooperation. Against the backdrop of growing security challenges in Europe and the Indo-Pacific, direct engagement between the defence industries of allied and partner nations is becoming increasingly important.
During the event in Tokyo, WB GROUP showcased combat-proven platforms from the WARMATE family, including the latest GLADIUS 2, a low-observable, turbojet-powered effector. The systems on display demonstrated the Polish defence industry’s expertise in designing and manufacturing advanced unmanned systems.
WB GROUP’s participation in the centenary brought together two chapters of Poland’s presence in Japan. In 1926, Polish aviators flew a biplane from Warsaw to Tokyo and back. A hundred years later, Poland’s defence industry is showcasing its own unmanned systems, helping shape the future of this technology.
