Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace and its Polish partner Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ) have been awarded a contract to supply drone defense systems to Poland to better protect the Polish armed forces against the threat posed by drones. This was announced in a press release on January 30. The contract was concluded with the Polish Armaments Agency and is worth around 1.5 billion euros for Kongsberg.
18 CUAS batteries for Polish airspace
The program is called SAN CUAS and comprises the delivery of a total of 18 Counter-Unmanned Aerial System (CUAS) batteries. The systems are designed to defend against a wide range of modern threats and rely on a variety of weapons. These include 35 mm, 30 mm and 12.7 mm caliber automatic cannons, guided missiles, interceptor drones and other effector and sensor systems.
The various components are networked via a command and control architecture developed by PGZ subsidiary Advanced Protection Systems (APS). This is intended to integrate the drone defense systems into the Polish air defense structures.
The system is based on the PROTECTOR family from Kongsberg, including the Medium Caliber Turret MCT30 and remote-controlled weapon stations. The MCT30 is an unmanned, digitized turret that is particularly suitable for use in drone defence due to its low weight and flexibility. In the SAN configuration, guided 70 mm missiles are to be used in particular.
Kongsberg emphasizes that all PROTECTOR weapon stations are fundamentally designed for drone defence tasks. The company has delivered more than 20,000 of these systems to over 30 countries to date.
Expansion of industrial presence in Poland planned
In connection with the order, Kongsberg announced plans to expand its production capacities in Poland. The aim is to strengthen local production and be able to supply larger quantities of defense systems. The cooperation with PGZ is also seen as a contribution to European and NATO-wide industrial cooperation.
According to Kongsberg, the contract underlines Poland's ambition to play a leading role in the development and introduction of drone defense technologies. For the company itself, the contract consolidates its position as one of the most important providers of counter-UAS solutions in Europe.
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