WB Group ‘Gladius’ UAV Undergoes Military Trials
The Polish Armed Forces have conducted the first trials of the newly obtained UAV systems produced by the Polish WB Group. Back in 2022, WB Group was awarded a contract worth $500 million for the delivery of FT-5 UAVs to the Polish Armed Forces to serve as artillery reconnaissance platforms.
Gladius is a multi-purpose UAV system dedicated to observation and precision strike missions. The domestically manufactured platform is versatile in both roles and can serve as a loitering munition. The Gladius system consists of an F-T5 family UAV and TOPAZ command system that will be integrated to receive, analyze, and transfer information between the drone and the command point.
The FT-5 drone can be equipped with infrared and thermal observation devices, and COMINT/ELINT sensors or can even carry its armament if the situation requires direct combat use of the drone. The drone itself can be also used in the role of loitering munitions by equipping it with a dedicated warhead. WB Group already manufactures a loitering munition system – Warmate which is utilized by Polish territorial defense units.
The war in Ukraine has shown that the use of observation and strike drones is key to proper reconnaissance and utilization of artillery assets. Gladius is one of many assets at the disposal of the Polish Armed Forces dedicated to target recognition and spotting. With its capacity to conduct a direct strike at the target as a loitering munition, the system itself can deliver fatal blows to command centers, combat vehicles, and critical infrastructure.
With the ongoing extension of the Polish artillery forces, including the creation of new brigades and divisions and the procurement of hundreds of new artillery systems, the number of Gladius systems will surely increase. Other systems developed and manufactured by WB Group, such as modernized FlyEye UAS and Warmate loitering munitions are set to follow.