Poland presented the miracle drone Kaczka: an amphibious swan for reconnaissance and attacks raised many questions

A new Kaczka drone disguised as a swan was shown at the MSPO 2025 defense technology exhibition in Poland. Although the development is designed to conduct reconnaissance and deliver surprise strikes, experts doubt its effectiveness due to limited capabilities and a questionable camouflage concept.

This is reported by PortalMilitarny.pl .

The Kaczka drone was created at the Military Institute of the Polish Land Forces and was first presented to the general public on September 2 at the MSPO 2025 exhibition. Despite its name (“duck”), the device is stylized as a stuffed swan: a surveillance camera is mounted in its head.

The Kaczka has a control range of up to 5 km and can operate autonomously. It is capable of carrying up to 10 kg of payload and can move both on water and land thanks to its floating structure and small wheels. Thus, the drone is amphibious, although its all-terrain capability is questionable.

The peculiarity of the device is its “camouflage”. The idea is that from a distance Kaczka could seem like a real bird. However, experts note that up close such a “legend” quickly unravels. In addition, the cost of this drone will be higher than traditional FPV or quadcopters, which have better range and stealth characteristics.

Despite the criticism, the Polish development fits into the general trend of developing drones disguised as living creatures. Similar projects have already been demonstrated in China, where they are creating ornithopters that reproduce bird flight, and even microdrones the size of insects.

Kaczka, according to observers, remains more of an experiment and raises more questions than practical answers. Its use in real combat conditions is currently in doubt, although the concept of bird camouflage itself may find application in the future.

By the way, Ukraine has begun production of FlyEye drones , battle-tested reconnaissance systems that have been helping the Ukrainian military on the front lines for almost a decade. This move not only strengthens the country’s defense capabilities, but also demonstrates deepening cooperation with Polish partners in the defense industry.

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