Armed Forces
Aerial Cover for the Homar-K System
Photo. Jakub Borowski/Defence24
Mini and micro-class unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will provide protection for the Homar-K rocket artillery squadrons. The nearly half-billion-zloty contract for the delivery of these systems was signed on Tuesday by the head of the Armaments Agency, Brigadier General Artur Kuptel, and the president of the WB Group, Piotr Wojciechowski.
The contract covers the acquisition of 12 sets of unmanned aerial systems for the fire support modules of the Homar-K squadrons. The systems will be used for reconnaissance and air cover of the elements’ area of operations. The total value of the order exceeds 499 million PLN gross, with deliveries scheduled between 2025 and 2028.
The order also includes the completion of 72 launchers and CD-10 fuel distributor tanks with communication equipment and the acquisition of a batch of universal artillery calculators UKART-2 for the fire support modules equipped with K9 self-propelled howitzers.
Each Force Protection set includes two sets of four FlyEye mini-class platforms, five sets of four X-Fronter micro-class platforms, and 44 sets of FP-Spectre electronic reconnaissance systems. The contract also includes training and logistics packages.
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“Unmanned aerial systems will protect, among other assets, the Homar-K rocket launchers and self-propelled howitzers. This is an essential addition to ensure artillery safety. They are the eyes and ears of Polish artillery,” said Deputy Minister of Defence Paweł Bejda. He emphasized that the ministry “equates the state and private defense industries.” He also reminded that on January 1, 2025, the Unmanned Forces branch will be established, drawing from experiences in Ukraine, and will cooperate with all branches of the Armed Forces, utilizing air, land, naval, and underwater platforms.
“The delivery of these systems will complement the capabilities of the Rocket and Artillery component. The effector alone, without accompanying equipment cannot win a war,” said the head of the Armaments Agency.
Bejda also stated that several more contracts are expected to be signed ny year’s end. He pointed out that in the current year, the Agency has concluded over 130 contracts worth more than 152 billion PLN.
The systems will be mounted on launchers and other vehicles of the multi-launch rocket systems Homar-K battalions, vehicles accompanying artillery battalions, and on specialized 4x4 off-road vehicles.
The FlyEye system is used by the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland, both in the Operational Forces and in the Territorial Defence Forces. It is also supplied to foreign customers, including Ukraine. The airframe can be equipped with a task module with an electro-optical sensor, including day and thermal cameras, and a head with a thermal camera. It can also be fitted with a radio signal relay.
The X-Fronter is a scalable, modular vertical take-off and landing unmanned aerial system (UAS), designed, among other things, for image reconnaissance. The VTOL aircraft allows for visual and infrared reconnaissance during both day and night, in all seasons, to identify and recognize targets, assess the impact of strikes, protect troops, support informational activities, and provide reconnaissance and support for operational activities.