Specifically for the Polish Army, WB Group announces a drone revolution on land and sea.

The Polish WB Group intends to present new unmanned land and sea vehicles as a proposal for the Polish Army. The company is currently known for its FlyEye and Warmate airborne reconnaissance and combat drone communications systems, among other products.

WB Electronics representatives announced new products to be publicly presented at the upcoming MSPO trade fair on Tuesday at a press briefing. Company leaders announced a "multi-domain unmanned revolution" encompassing the development of maritime and land drone systems, as well as advanced communication and management systems for these systems.

The first system the WB Group intends to offer in September, primarily to the Polish military, is the "Future Task Force" unmanned-manned platoon, which could be part of a land forces company. These systems consist of a command vehicle and several accompanying vehicles—called effectors—for various purposes, which could be used both as personnel carriers and unmanned vehicles. The wheeled vehicles are adapted to operate on a variety of surfaces, from asphalt roads to difficult forest terrain.

The purpose of using this dual design is to ensure the versatility of the entire system – for example, by enabling human-driven vehicles to use public roads; once delivered to the designated location, these same vehicles, now controlled by a command vehicle, will be able to perform a variety of missions – including reconnaissance, transport, and combat.

The vehicles can be equipped with a variety of equipment, including a ZMU-05 turret with a large-caliber machine gun, a mine-laying launcher, and, for example, a Warmate drone launcher. The vehicles can also be used for transport or medical evacuation. The vehicles have a hybrid drive and are also equipped with a "silent mode," which allows them to remain hidden for up to seven days.

The company—also known for producing communications systems—also emphasizes its expertise in this area, including the management of drones and unmanned/manned platoons on the battlefield. As assured by Jarosław Czajka, WB's director of unmanned systems, WB's communications systems are completely independent of foreign manufacturers and based on domestic encryption systems. Communication between individual systems can be based on retransmission of signals by specially designed drones, or it can also be routed—for shorter distances—via fiber optic cables.

The WB Group also assures that the system is tailored to the needs and requirements of the Polish Army. It also aligns with the General Staff's proposed plan, presented several months ago, to restructure land forces battalions, so that they have fewer heavy vehicles, such as infantry fighting vehicles, and more space for unmanned systems, among other things. According to the WB Group's leaders, they can adapt their equipment to the military's requirements in a maximum of six months.

The company also intends to further develop its maritime drone business. Two types of unmanned boats will also be presented at the MSPO in Kielce, offering solutions for the Navy, Special Forces, Border Guard, and other maritime services.

As with land-based drones, WB's maritime drones can be equipped with a ZMU-05 armed turret or a Warmate aerial drone launcher. These types of maritime drones can be used for patrol, reconnaissance, and the protection of bases or designated sea areas, among other tasks.

The WB Group is one of Poland's largest private defense companies. It supplies the Polish military with communications and combat management systems for artillery, including Krab self-propelled howitzers and Rak self-propelled mortars (TOPAZ system), communications systems for the land forces, installed in various configurations of Rosomak armored personnel carriers, and unmanned systems, including FlyEye reconnaissance drones and Warmate loitering munitions (known as kamikaze drones). Currently, a significant portion of the company's revenue comes from exports; Ukraine, a major recipient of WB equipment, is a country defending itself against Russia.

The International Defense Industry Exhibition is the largest defense industry trade fair in Central Europe, held annually in September in Kielce. (PAP)

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