WB Group has signed a formal distribution agreement with Australian partner CABLEX to offer Warmate, a loitering munition system for the ADF.
The current Warmate is a battle-proven small/medium loitering munition weighing 5 kg with an endurance exceeding 60 minutes, a range of over 15 kilometres, and a variety of warheads suited to armoured and unarmoured targets. It is canister launched and is capable of being either carried by infantry or mounted on armoured vehicles.
The Warmate in its current configuration may have applications for Army and SAS roles and Cablex supported by WB is proposing to bring systems to Australia for trials.
The Project Agreement was signed in front of former Minister for Defence Industry Steven Ciobo and Polish Ambassador Michał Kołodziejski at the Avalon Air Show. This designates Cablex as the Prime System Integrator for Warmate for the ADF and potentially for other nations with which Australia has special relationships, including the Five Eyes partners and countries in the Pacific and Asia.
The agreement with CABLEX stipulates that the company will be the exclusive distributor of Warmate in Australia and the system integrator according to the requirements of the ADF.
“We are pleased to offer Australia’s defense forces with a high-quality loitering munition," Piotr Wojciechowski, the president of WB Group, said. “The agreement means not only provides the Australian military with aerial detection and strike capabilities, it also strengthens the bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the defence sector."
Subject to the outcome of the trials, Cablex has identified possibilities for Australian sovereign enhancement of Warmate, including further improving its ISR capability for sustained local area surveillance, encrypted linkage into wider ADF ISR systems, improved warhead technology with local manufacture, and a multiple system launcher customised to fit a variety of ADF armoured and protected vehicles.
An ultimate goal will also be to provide AFVs such as Boxer with a bolt-on launcher allowing Warmate launch, surveillance and strike operations controlled and monitored entirely from within the armoured vehicle, maximising operator protection.
The cooperation between WB Group and CABLEX is effective immediately and is an extension of the agreement signed between the two companies in 2017.