MSPO 2019: WB Group launches its new WARMATE Tube Launch Loitering Munition System.

At MSPO 2019, the International Defense Industry in Poland, the Polish Company WB Group launches the WARMATE Tube Launch (TL) Loitering Munitions System, a combat vehicular UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) that provides a highly targeted strike capability with either an anti-personnel or anti-tank warhead.

The new WARMATE Tube Launch Loitering Munition System pf Polish Company WB Group unveiled at MSPO 2019, defense exhibition in Poland. (Picture source Army Recognition)

The system’s unique feature is that it has a folding wing structure in order to fit inside a canister-launching system. The system can be launched pneumatically from a tube mounted on any ground vehicle, at which point the wings unfold once it gets airborne.

The attack mode initiates a strike on a selected target, and control of the AV is fully-autonomous during a strike. The user is shown a video feed, at the mobile control station, from the camera mounted on the front of the warhead, and this can be used to assist in directing the aircraft.

The WARMATE airframe can incorporate various types of warheads (training, high-explosive anti-personal, anti-tank), which are interchangeable and can be changed in the field depending on the mission objectives. The addition of daylight or thermal camera to the warhead allows for the assessment of a target before launching a strike, and a number of fail-safe mechanisms mean that missions can be easily aborted if intelligence is revised.

The WARMATE System includes a mobile ground control station (GCS) that is easy to use and provides a real-time video feed to the user. A wide range of autonomous flight modes can be managed at the GCS.

The WARMATE TL can be used in six different flight modes including auto-mode, Loiter flight mode, Fly to coordinate, cruise, search and attack.

The take-off of the WARMATE TL is fully automated. The platform is launched from a tube mounted on any vehicle. The AV is launched following a series of pre-flight tests to ensure communication between the ground control station and the AV. Take-off is fully automated ensuring that the AV will climb to 500 m before switching to the chosen flight plan.