Poland’s armaments procurement authority has awarded a contract worth 16 billion Norwegian kroner ($1.65 billion) to a joint consortium comprising Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace and Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ) for the delivery of advanced counter-drone systems aimed at countering the rapidly evolving unmanned aerial systems threat.
The award, issued under the San air defence programme, includes the supply of 18 air defence batteries centered on Kongsberg’s Protector remote weapon station. These systems will integrate multiple effectors, including automatic cannons, missiles, and interceptor drones, to provide layered protection against aerial threats.
Under the agreement, PGZ subsidiary Advanced Protection Systems will deliver the command-and-control solution, responsible for integrating sensors and effectors while ensuring seamless interoperability with Poland’s broader air defence network.
Designed for both land and maritime use in static and mobile configurations, the Protector family includes the Medium Caliber Turret (MCT30) alongside the RS4 and RS6 remote weapon stations, offering flexibility across a range of platforms and mission profiles.
The modular architecture of the system enables remote operation of a wide spectrum of payloads, ranging from small-calibre weapons to medium-calibre automatic cannons. Supported armaments include 5.56mm light machine guns, 30×113mm light cannons, and medium-calibre systems such as 30×173mm and 40×180mm cannons.
Protector stations feature advanced electro-optical sensors and camera suites, supporting tailored day and night operations. The RS4 variant provides full 360-degree traverse at speeds of up to 90 degrees per second, with elevation ranging from –20 to +60 degrees and elevation speeds reaching 70 degrees per second, allowing for rapid target engagement.
The San programme is intended to deliver comprehensive air defence coverage against both unmanned and crewed aerial threats. It will consist of more than a dozen batteries equipped with a combination of artillery systems, rockets, interceptor drones, and non-kinetic capabilities designed to neutralize hostile unmanned platforms of varying sizes.
Each battery will incorporate a layered sensor suite, including active radar systems, passive radio-frequency sensors, and optical sensors, enabling effective detection, identification, and tracking of airborne targets.
