#197 Dual‑use, drones, and composites: Piotr Placha on why the nuances matter
13.01.2026 12 min Staffel 5 Episode 155
Zusammenfassung & Show Notes
In a follow‑up to Composites Lounge’s short conversation with Jacek Kasz—who previewed KOMPOZYT-EXPO® 2026 in Kraków alongside a parallel DRONE SECURITY EXPO (DSE) 2026—Piotr Placha, Export Support Department expert at the Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PAIH), offers a sober, business‑focused view on dual‑use technologies and why they are increasingly central to European industry.
His perspective: dual‑use is not a niche—it’s a reality shaping markets and regulations.
What is dual‑use?
Placha defines it simply: any technology serving both civilian and defense purposes. Think industrial drones—monitoring crops one day, securing borders the next. Or counter‑drone systems, where composites enable lightweight, high‑strength airframes for BVLOS missions. Even everyday products—ready‑to‑eat meals, cut‑resistant uniforms—can cross into dual‑use territory.
Why is this delicate?
Dual‑use spans regulated and non‑regulated categories. Export controls apply to some cybersecurity tools or defense‑grade equipment, but many items remain commercially open. For SMEs, the nuance lies in documentation, compliance, and understanding where civilian ends and defense begins.
The NATO shift:
Geopolitical changes have opened doors for small and medium enterprises. NATO now actively seeks innovative solutions from startups and SMEs, maintaining one of the largest databases of suppliers. For composites players, this means opportunity—if you can prove performance and interoperability.
Why composites matter here:
Lightweight structures, advanced resins, and additive manufacturing are critical for drones, trailers, and protective gear. The intersection of materials engineering and security tech will be front and center at Kraków’s October 2026 events:
KOMPOZYT‑EXPO® (7–8 Oct 2026) – Poland’s flagship composites fair.
Drone Security EXPO (7–8 Oct 2026) – BVLOS demos, counter‑UAS simulations, and expert panels.
And before Kraków, the global stage:
🇵🇱 Poland debuts its first national Pavilion at JEC World 2026, Paris, 10–12 March. Meet the Polish ecosystem at Hall 5, Booth 5G142. If you’re working at the intersection of composites, UAS, and dual‑use, this is your chance to connect.
***
Already covered in this series
Anna Boczkowska
Mirko Filler
Dr. Andreas Freund
Piotr Placha
still to be released
Tomasz Salomon
Andrzej Czulak
and many more from the Fall/Winter 2025/2026
His perspective: dual‑use is not a niche—it’s a reality shaping markets and regulations.
What is dual‑use?
Placha defines it simply: any technology serving both civilian and defense purposes. Think industrial drones—monitoring crops one day, securing borders the next. Or counter‑drone systems, where composites enable lightweight, high‑strength airframes for BVLOS missions. Even everyday products—ready‑to‑eat meals, cut‑resistant uniforms—can cross into dual‑use territory.
Why is this delicate?
Dual‑use spans regulated and non‑regulated categories. Export controls apply to some cybersecurity tools or defense‑grade equipment, but many items remain commercially open. For SMEs, the nuance lies in documentation, compliance, and understanding where civilian ends and defense begins.
The NATO shift:
Geopolitical changes have opened doors for small and medium enterprises. NATO now actively seeks innovative solutions from startups and SMEs, maintaining one of the largest databases of suppliers. For composites players, this means opportunity—if you can prove performance and interoperability.
Why composites matter here:
Lightweight structures, advanced resins, and additive manufacturing are critical for drones, trailers, and protective gear. The intersection of materials engineering and security tech will be front and center at Kraków’s October 2026 events:
KOMPOZYT‑EXPO® (7–8 Oct 2026) – Poland’s flagship composites fair.
Drone Security EXPO (7–8 Oct 2026) – BVLOS demos, counter‑UAS simulations, and expert panels.
And before Kraków, the global stage:
🇵🇱 Poland debuts its first national Pavilion at JEC World 2026, Paris, 10–12 March. Meet the Polish ecosystem at Hall 5, Booth 5G142. If you’re working at the intersection of composites, UAS, and dual‑use, this is your chance to connect.
***
Already covered in this series
Anna Boczkowska
Mirko Filler
Dr. Andreas Freund
Piotr Placha
still to be released
Tomasz Salomon
Andrzej Czulak
and many more from the Fall/Winter 2025/2026
Transkript
So dear community,
we are now in the afternoon of day
one at JEC Forum in Central Europe
and I have now the honour
talking to the Polish Investment
and Trade Agency,
and we will now touch on what Jacek Kasz
mentioned before, the dual use
applications and greet
with me together Piotr Placha.
He is the export manager
of that department and also day one here.
And thanks for being part of my show.
-Thank you for the invitation.
Hello everyone. My name is Piotr Placha
and I'm a member of the team of experts
in the Export Support Department
in the Polish Investment
and Trade Agency, responsible
for actually two sectors.
It's construction and high technology
in security and dual use products.
And we are supporting Polish exporters.
We are starting from the preparation
for export activity,
giving them some information
supporting them with business matchmaking.
Promoting the brand of Polish economy
worldwide, for example
during the exhibitions,
international conferences
and other sectoral events.
This is our mission
to support Polish companies,
for example,
showing them the new possibilities
to diversify their activity
in international supply chains
with the biggest international companies.
-You see Community.
We will be talking now about
a very sensitive topic that is dual use.
If you would have asked me ten years ago,
then I would have said, oh,
be careful with dual use applications,
because they need an export license,
for example.
And anyone who is in under dual use
these restrictions knows what I'm telling.
In Germany, we have the BAFA in Eschborn,
which is the Ministry of Export,
which gives you the licenses
and to get a license
is an exceptional case in Germany.
Now, these days, of course,
we have major challenges
coming up in the macroeconomic side
and cross country borders.
And I would like to know, Piotr, from you.
Do you have an application
and example for us where you can explain
the dual use
or efforts and licenses,
or how would you talk about this project
so that our viewers
can understand what dual use means?
Dual use applications are the best example
of the various applications
are drone, industrial drone,
and counter drone technologies,
because you can use it
either for agricultural applications,
for example, to monitor fields,
the state of humidity in soil.
In the same time,
you can use the same technology
to save your borders, for example,
or any other critical infrastructure.
That's why this is the typical example
of dual use technology.
We have also many other examples.
For example, in automotive industry,
when we are talking about trailers
or semi-trailers,
you can use it
for heavy construction machines,
but also to transport
heavy duty military equipment.
So each time when
you can use some equipment
or technology
for military purposes or civilian,
we can talk about dual use.
Another good example is cybersecurity.
When you secure your company
against some dangerous situation
in your cyberspace,
you can use it
the same technology to public safety.
-Trailer: how do we connect you
with stories within the composites
and sustainable materials industry?
We are on the ground to find the facts.
We examine big, innovative ideas.
We led diverse perspectives on technology
and sustainability,
emerge and ignite conversations
that matter most to bring you
the composites
and sustainable materials world.
Stay informed.
Stay connected.
Stay inspired.
From our online studios in Germany
covering events and corporates
from France, Italy, UK, Central Europe
and many more European regions,
join us for creating sustainable
with #Composites360onTour
and Composites Lounge Engineering
Talks and Composites Lounge
end user panels
hosted by Ilkay Özkisaoglu
weekly on LinkedIn, YouTube
and your preferred podcasts.
I can divide this sector into two groups.
One is regulated
when we are talking about technology
typical or
for military usage, like for example,
some kind of programs in cybersecurity
or some kind of equipment.
But we in PAIH agency,
we are defining this category wider
because if, for example,
we have the very good Polish company
producing food ready to eat,
which can be used by tourists
or by military guys,
it's also, from our perspective, dual
use product, but it's not regulated
because it's simply food
or for example, some fabrics
or uniforms for special purposes,
for paramedics, for example,
and soldiers.
Cut resistant uniform
can be used by paramedic,
in ambulance or by soldiers on the border.
Each
time when we have some situations
where we can use the same product
in two different situations, this is it.
And now all of this assortment
can be regulated
or being under some restrictions,
for example.
But we are looking on this topic
from a business perspective
rather not regulatory.
But we of course cooperate
with the institutions
responsible for such regulations.
-So Piotr, thanks
for explaining the dual use.
Now, what comes to my mind is,
of course NATO, North Atlantic
treaty organization.
Now, lately,
with all these hiccups in the region here,
how has your relationship with NATO
changed lately
and how supportive
are they in dual use applications?
Can you give us some sort
of an insights here about NATO,
and in particular in the context
of small and medium sized businesses?
Thank you for this question.
This is a very important question
because in the past, it was not easy
for small and medium enterprises
to sell their products
directly to military forces
or such alliance like NATO.
But now the geopolitical situation
is changing, and now it's obvious
that to be in contact
with smaller, innovative companies
is both very good for business
and very good for public safety,
because each time,
if you have some problematic
situation in a big defense company,
for example, it's an excellent situation
to ask, for example, even startups
or some innovative small company
to solve this problem.
And this is a good occasion
to build some cooperation
between big defense companies
supported by military institutions
like NATO. NATO, for example,
have one of the biggest database
of companies which
have interesting products for them.
And this is also a good occasion
to be in this database
for small and business,
small and medium companies
ready to solve problems.