On April 28. Head of the Armament Agency Brig. Gen. Artur Kuptel on behalf of the State Treasury and the President of the Management Board of PGZ S.A. Sebastian Chwałek on behalf of the PGZ-Pilica+ consortium, signed an executive contract for the delivery of 22 Rocket-Artillery Systems (ZRA) Pilica+ for the needs of the Polish Armed Forces. The order value is nearly PLN 3 billion. The leader of the consortium is Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa S.A. and the technical integrator Zakłady Mechaniczne Tarnów S.A.

 

The subject of the contract concluded between the State Treasury and the PGZ-Pilica+ consortium is the delivery of 22 PSR-A Pilica units for the needs of ZRA Pilica+: 16 new units (including one training unit for the Air Force Training Centre) and 6 already produced or in production under the agreement from 2016, which will be supplemented with new elements.

 

Under the agreement of November 2016, 6 Pilica systems, a modern very short-range anti-aircraft system, developed by designers from Tarnów, are being delivered to the Polish Army. The first 4 sets are already in service in the Polish army. This system is being improved and developed so that the Polish Armed Forces have more and more advanced and effective equipment.

 

ZRA Pilica+ will include the existing elements of PSR-A Pilica, i.e. a command post, 6 firing units with artillery tractors, a communication subsystem and logistic support - ammunition wagons and transport vehicles. This configuration will be supplemented with short-range rocket launchers and Bystra radar stations manufactured by PIT-RADWAR. It will therefore be possible to hit targets with both artillery and rocket fire. Later, anti-aircraft guns with programmable ammunition and a system designed to combat unmanned aerial vehicles will be added to the AA system.

 

- The Pilica system is the best example that companies of the Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa in cooperation with a foreign partner are able to quickly respond to the needs of the Polish Armed Forces, offering a comprehensive and modern solution. Pilica+ complements the multi-layer anti-aircraft and anti-missile defence shield of the Polish sky, which is being built by the army. The war in Ukraine shows how important the lowest layer of the anti-missile shield is, enabling it to effectively fight, among others, unmanned aerial vehicles - emphasized the President of the Management Board of PGZ S.A. Sebastian Chwałek.

 

The CAMM missile, a product of the European group MBDA, specializing in the design and production of missiles, will be introduced into the solution. Therefore, the capabilities of the system will be much greater, as it will be integrated not only with short-range anti-aircraft systems, but also with anti-aircraft missile launchers with a range of over 25 km.

 

- Pilica+ will provide even more effective protection against airborne threats, as the system's blast zone will be multiplied. It will be able to provide layered air protection not only against cruise missiles, including supersonic ones, but also against aircraft, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles. The rate of fire of the guns and their range will also enable firing at ground targets - emphasizes Henryk Łabędź, President of the Management Board of Zakłady Mechaniczne "Tarnów" S.A.

 

The contract will be implemented in the years 2023-2029 by the PGZ-Pilica+ consortium. It consists of Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa S.A. (leader), Zakłady Mechaniczne in Tarnów (technical integrator), PIT-RADWAR, PCO, Jelcz, MESKO S.A., Ośrodek Badawczo-Rozwojowy Centrum Techniki Morskiej, Wojskowe Zakłady Uzbrojenia and Wojskowe Zakłady Elektroniczne. The value of the contract is PLN 2 billion 980 million.

 

- This contract will provide us with dynamic development for the coming years, stabilization and a surge in competence – mentions President Henryk Łabędź.

 

ZRA Pilica+ will act as the basic anti-aircraft systems, the main purpose of which will be to supplement the firing zones of short- and medium-range air defense missile systems at low and very low altitudes, and to protect the Wisła medium-range air defense missile systems.