WB Group announced that the first lot of Warmate loitering munitions has already been delivered to the Polish military. In total, the Polish Ministry of Defence has decided to acquire 1000 platforms of the type.
On 19th December. the first Warmate loitering munitions systems have been delivered to the Regional Logistics Base, in line with the provisions of the agreement concluded on 20th November – the WB Group announced. Following this procedure, the systems are going to be received by the NIL military unit, where they would be used to develop training procedures and tactics, as the armament procured is a completely new solution to the Polish military.
Credit: R. Surdacki/Defence24.pl
The equipment received by the Polish Armed Forces constitutes the first lot of 1000 Warmate UAVs ordered by the Polish Ministry of Defence led by Antoni Macierewicz. More deliveries are planned to happen next year. PLN 100 million order cost is associated with procurement of 100 packages (1000 units).
Warmate armament system utilizes UAVs fitted with warheads. The warheads may vary, depending on mission of the given UAV. The available selection includes anti-tank (for acting against light armour), fragmentation (for acting against enemy soldiers) or thermobaric (for acting against fortifications) warheads.
Systems as such are only manufactured only in a few countries around the world. The United States of America and Israel both remain in possession of technologies required to create loitering munitions. The aforesaid states have recently been joined by Poland. The Polish solution has already been proven by the user in actual combat, as the UAV in question has been acquired by several foreign customers too. One of the NATO member states is also utilizing the aforesaid solution.
The manufacturer claims that Warmates may be used at distances exceeding 10 kilometres, offering flight endurance of more than 30 minutes. Operational ceiling for the system has been defined as 30-200 metres, while maximum altitude at which the system may fly is 500 metres. However, this performance is available if the UAV is used at altitudes of no more than 3 kilometres above the sea level. Top speed of the system is 150 kph.
“Precision-guided loitering munitions make it possible to provide PGM’s at low levels – for infantry squads or platoons – that remain capable of acting against light armoured targets or even APCs at vast distances. Thus they provide a higher level of safety for our operators” – stated Adam Bartosiewicz, WB Electronics VP.
Source: Defence 24