On 28 May in O\u017car\u00f3w Mazowiecki, Piotr Wojciechowski, President of WB GROUP, and Divisional General Artur Kuptel, Head of the Armament Agency of the Ministry of National Defence, acting on behalf of the State Treasury, signed three contracts for the delivery of unmanned systems. These are the largest contracts for\u00a0comprehensive reconnaissance-strike solutions ever concluded in Poland and across Europe.<\/p>\n
\u2013 The SAFE mechanism is based on joint procurement. In May, the phase of individual contracts \u2013 under which a single Member State, such as Poland, could purchase specific products \u2013 will come to an end. After that, we will enter a new chapter of international contracts. We have just returned from Canada, where the\u00a0Canadian side declared its intention to procure aerial unmanned systems from WB GROUP. Today, further declarations were made by additional partners from the European Union \u2013 said Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka.<\/p>\n
The signing ceremony was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence W\u0142adys\u0142aw Kosiniak-Kamysz, Secretary of State at the Ministry of National Defence Pawe\u0142 Bejda, Government Plenipotentiary for the Instrument for Increasing European Security Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka, representatives of the Armament Agency, and employees of WB GROUP.<\/p>\n
\u2013 I am proud to be here, in a company that has become a flagship of the Polish economy, as we see every time we go abroad. We hear it every day from Polish soldiers. There is no better recommendation than that of a Polish soldier. If they speak highly of your equipment, the entire world will speak highly of it \u2013 and indeed, it already does \u2013 said Deputy Prime Minister W\u0142adys\u0142aw Kosiniak-Kamysz following the signing.<\/p>\n
Under the SAFE-funded contracts with the Armament Agency, WB GROUP will deliver its flagship products: hundreds of WARMATE loitering munition systems, nearly 200 FLYEYE unmanned reconnaissance systems, and twelve battery-level fire units of the GLADIUS reconnaissance-strike unmanned system.<\/p>\n
\u2013 This event is of special significance to us. It is a great recognition of the work of our engineers, specialists, and all our employees. The Polish Armed Forces have decided to procure modern equipment that has been combat-proven and highly valued by its users. Moreover, we are committed to its further development to make it even more advanced and effective \u2013 said Piotr Wojciechowski, President of WB GROUP, after the ceremony.<\/p>\n
The signed contracts will provide a major impetus for further growth, expansion of production capacities, and further development of the expertise of the teams that have been designing and developing unmanned systems in Poland for years. Contracts of this scale offer greater predictability for research and development investments and enable broader cooperation with domestic partners forming the supply chain for advanced defence technologies.<\/p>\n
\u2013 The security aspect is particularly important. By strengthening the nation\u2019s defence capabilities, we enhance the security of all of us \u2013 our families, local communities, and the country as a whole. Contracts related to GLADIUS, FLYEYE, and WARMATE create jobs for our colleagues across the company and throughout our supply chain. These funds will not remain solely within our company \u2013 they will flow into local economies, creating jobs, supporting local suppliers and entrepreneurs, and driving economic growth \u2013 added the President of WB GROUP.<\/p>\n
The foundation of WB GROUP\u2019s success lies in its proprietary technologies, engineering expertise, and scalable manufacturing capabilities. Combined with the newly signed contracts, these strengths will enable the company to execute further programmes for the Polish Armed Forces and expand cooperation with international partners, supporting the development of defence capabilities across NATO and strengthening the Alliance\u2019s eastern flank.<\/p>\n
GLADIUS \u2013 A Unique European Reconnaissance-Strike System<\/p>\n
The first contract signed in O\u017car\u00f3w Mazowiecki covers the delivery of 12 battery-level fire units of the GLADIUS reconnaissance-strike unmanned system, which will be delivered to the Polish Armed Forces by 2030.<\/p>\n
GLADIUS is a highly advanced unmanned system unique in Europe, developed in part based on lessons learned from the war in Ukraine. It integrates reconnaissance, command, and precision strike capabilities within a single network-centric architecture.<\/p>\n
The system\u2019s advantage does not stem from individual unmanned platforms alone, but from the full integration of sensors, effectors, and command-and-control systems. This integration enables the creation of a modern find-identify-strike chain fully aligned with NATO and EU standards.<\/p>\n
GLADIUS battery modules are designed for precision engagement of targets and airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). Imaging, radar, and electronic reconnaissance missions will be conducted using, among other platforms, FT-5 reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles.<\/p>\n
WB GROUP will supply not only systems already known to the Polish Armed Forces, but also new effectors, including those developed under the GLADIUS 2 programme, capable of engaging selected high-value targets at distances of several hundred kilometers from the launch point.<\/p>\n
All unmanned platforms within the GLADIUS system will be integrated with the TOPAZ battlefield management system already in service with the Polish Armed Forces. Each battery module will include launchers, command vehicles, ammunition vehicles, technical support vehicles, and a stock of strike UAVs.<\/p>\n
FLYEYE \u2013 Expanding Tactical Reconnaissance Capabilities<\/p>\n
The second contract covers the delivery of 190 FLYEYE unmanned aerial systems.<\/p>\n
Most of the systems will be delivered to the operational forces and the Territorial Defence Forces. For the first time, however, the FLYEYE system developed in Gliwice will also be fielded by reconnaissance platoons of tank battalions.<\/p>\n
FLYEYE systems are designed for airborne ISR missions using electro-optical payloads capable of day-and-night observation and image recording.<\/p>\n
The system has been extensively tested by the Polish Armed Forces and has been used in combat conditions for more than a decade, including in Afghanistan and Ukraine.<\/p>\n
WARMATE \u2013 Hundreds of Loitering Munition Systems<\/p>\n
The third contract signed on 28 May concerns the delivery of more than 400 WARMATE loitering munition systems.<\/p>\n
WARMATE is designed to identify and engage targets, including lightly armoured vehicles and enemy infantry, depending on the warhead configuration selected for the mission.<\/p>\n
Within the Polish Armed Forces, WARMATE is used both as a man-portable system and as a vehicle-integrated solution.<\/p>\n
The system features advanced control modules that automate most phases of flight and support the operator during target engagement.<\/p>\n
Operation is conducted in real time using a live video feed. The operator retains full control over the system and can switch between a reusable reconnaissance mode and a one-way combat mode depending on mission requirements.<\/p>\n
photo courtesy WB GROUP<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On 28 May in O\u017car\u00f3w Mazowiecki, Piotr Wojciechowski, President of WB GROUP, and Divisional General Artur Kuptel, Head…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10141,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[7654,5732,9,5733,5734],"class_list":["post-10140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-poland","tag-flyeye","tag-gladius","tag-poland","tag-warmate","tag-wb-group"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/poland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10140","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/poland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/poland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/poland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/poland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10140"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/poland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10140\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/poland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10141"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/poland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/poland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/poland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}