The Polish Armed Forces will purchase Gladius unmanned systems, including reconnaissance UAVs, barrage ammunition, command and control systems, as well as relevant logistics and personnel training components. This was announced on May 6, 2022 by Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak. According to the minister, the package with a total cost of almost 426 million euros is primarily intended to equip Polish artillery regiments in the east of the country.
Answering questions from the press, the Polish military were deliberately restrained and referred to the increased secrecy caused by "the war in Ukraine and the aggravation of relations with Russia." Thus, the head of the Polish Armament Agency, Colonel Artur Kuptel, stressed that the projected figures for the relevant systems have not yet been disclosed. The press release of the manufacturer, WB Group, also does not specify any quantitative characteristics. However, experts believe that the communique of the Minister of Defense allows us to draw conclusions about the structure and scale of the upcoming delivery.
It is reported that we are talking about four so-called battery sets of GLADIUS unmanned reconnaissance and destruction systems, which are planned to be purchased from the first call. They consist of several command and staff and transport-loading vehicles, mobile ground stations, as well as a combat set of the BSP-U GLADIUS barrage ammunition and associated launch equipment.
BSP-U GLADIUS barrage ammunition on the launcher. Option
According to press reports, the BSP-U is based on the Polish kamikaze drone WARMATE 2, which can stay in the air for up to 120 minutes and is equipped with a cumulative, thermobaric or fragmentation warhead weighing up to 5 kg. To detect targets at medium range, GLADIUS unmanned systems are supported by the FT5 tactical UAV (photo in the title) of the same manufacturer. At the same time, it serves as a repeater between the ground station and the striking element. According to the manufacturer, the 85-kilogram FT5 with a wingspan of 6.4 m is capable of being in the air for up to 10 hours. With a maximum flight range of 150 km, the drone is capable of reaching an altitude of 5000 m, but requires a prepared runway for takeoff and landing.
For reconnaissance and tracking purposes, the GS2-UM suspension developed by WB Group with a combined daytime and infrared camera is used. In addition, a device for laser illumination of the target can be built in. The collected data is transmitted in real time via an encrypted communication channel to the integrated guidance system of the TOPAZ ground station. The processed data allows for direct guidance of barrage ammunition, as well as adjusting the fire of barrel or rocket artillery.
According to the Polish Defense Ministry, the GLADIUS project includes the purchase of several hundred drones, barrage ammunition and simulators for the preparation of calculations. The first partial delivery is expected at the end of 2022. The announced purchase is the largest UAV acquisition program in the history of the Polish Armed Forces. According to press releases, the purchase of 24 BAYRAKTAR TB2 attack UAVs from Turkey, four ground control stations and a training and logistics package announced in May 2021 cost the Polish budget 230 million euros.
According to the materials of the resource euro-sd.com