Strike UAV Will Backup Poland’s Special Operation Forces

Strike UAV Will Backup Poland’s Special Operation Forces

UAV

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Polish Armaments Group, PGZ, is carrying out work to initiate a manufacturing process concerning the UAVs that would meet the requirements of the Polish Armed Forces, with a particular emphasis on strike systems. The manufacturing process concerning the combat derivative of the DragonFly UAV is to begin in 2018.

DragonFly strike UAV is the first system which will be manufactured. The design of this UAV has been developed at the Military Institute of Armament Technology, subordinated to the Polish Ministry of Defence. According to defence24.com, the production of the aforesaid drone was then divided between the facilities belonging to the PGZ.  

DragonFly UAV has been designed as a response to the requirements of the Polish Armed Forces, concerning a multifunctional UAV platform which would complement the existing armament systems. It is a solution which has been designed especially for special operations forces, air-mobile, mechanized or territorial defense units.

The Institute, a subsidiary body of the Polish MoD, designed a 5-kilogram quadcopter UAV which may be easily carried by a single operator. The UAV in question is capable of attaining speeds of more than 60 kph, and it may continue its flight after hitting minor obstacles, such as tree branches.

A variety of warheads has been created for the DragonFly system, with a purpose of acting against a variety of targets. Military Institute of Armament Technology has developed a platform-dedicated warhead package. Not only do the warheads integrate strike capabilities, as they also feature optronic sensors that are used by the operator to control the UAV, detect the threats and guide the UAV towards the target. The warheads may be fitted with a TV or thermal vision camera, with the latter system offering an ability to carry out operations at night or against targets camouflaged in the visible light spectrum.

Up until now, no decision has been made to initiate production of the fuel-air explosive warheads, but this issue remains open. The series manufacturing is to be implemented in parallel with the initiation of manufacturing of the DragonFly UCAV – next year.

Last year, the Polish Ministry of Defence signaled its interest in procurement of a major quantity of small UAV systems, the purpose of which would be to attack ground targets. According to the declarations that had been made by the Polish Ministry of Defence, the aforesaid systems would be used both by the operational units, as well as by the newly formed Territorial Defence component.