Warmate’s circulating ammunition has gained publicity thanks to positive feedback from Ukraine, whose armed forces use Warmates to good effect against Russian troops. There are even public collections on the Internet for the purchase of new weapons for Ukraine. For several years, Warmates have also been armed by units of the Polish Army. On the occasion of the training of another group of operators of the circulating ammunition system Warmate, the Territorial Defense Forces organized an open day for the media.
The training scenario assumed that one group of soldiers was operating in the area occupied by the enemy and that there they assumed the Warmate’s forward control post. The task of the participants was to prepare and mask the site and prepare the transmitting and receiving station to take control of the circulating ammunition, which was to come from the territory controlled by their own troops. Concealed preparation of the flight kit, preparation for firing and launching Warmate was the task of the second group of training soldiers. In addition, operators from both groups were to conduct a simulated attack on designated targets.
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The operators of these systems, both on their own territory and the forward operators behind the enemy, use sniper-style tactics, work in teams of two, with a commander who serves as an observer-security, and a steering system operator. The team can be enlarged by soldiers to organize the circular defense of the command post. The position itself can be hidden, for example in the forest, and at the edge of the tree line only the antenna connected to the steering position is exposed by a wire. The preparation for take-off takes about six minutes for a trained crew.
Prepare for the forward Warmete command post.
(Maciej Hypś, Konflikty.pl)
– Training is essential. Without training, it is not possible to use this equipment – said Remigiusz Wilk, communication director at WB Electronics. – More time is spent training than using equipment in combat. It is learning habits, getting habits. First of all, it is getting used to the equipment so that the soldier feels confident while using it. It’s like driving a car. At the beginning we feel insecure at the driving license course, and now we do not even pay attention to many things, we do it automatically, for this we need training. That is why the supply of training Warmates is so important to train, train and train, so that you do not even notice the transition to the combat system.
Circulating ammunition, as a means of combat, differs from typical unmanned aerial vehicles mainly in that completely different regulations apply to its use. Each soldier can use circulating ammunition in the same way as, for example, a disposable grenade launcher. There is no need to appoint operators with appropriate training and permissions.
Warmate circulating ammunition.
(Maciej Hypś, Konflikty.pl)
In the backpack variant, the Warmate has a length of 1.1 meters, a span of 1.6 meters and a maximum weight of 5.7 kilograms. The range is 80 kilometers and the flight duration is 70 minutes. The operating radius is limited by the radio range between Warmate and the transceiver station. It is 30 kilometers, but as demonstrated in the exercises, the control of the ammunition can be taken over by an advanced operator, for example located on the border of the original operating radius, and thus double this distance. One can imagine a network of control stations that mutually control Warmate at different stages of the flight. Transferring communications may take place with radio silence between operators. The cruising speed is 80 kilometers per hour, and in the attack phase it reaches 150 kilometers per hour. The system is equipped with control modules allowing for full automation of most flight elements, for example maintaining the assumed speed by ascending and descending.
Warmate is a dual-use system. In combat mode, like any ammunition, it is single-use. However, it can also be used for reconnaissance tasks and recovered many times. It is equipped with a day and night camera for training observation and targeting.
Warmate operator console. The control software, developed from scratch by the WB Group, is based on Linux.
(Maciej Hypś, Konflikty.pl)
Circulating ammunition is a relatively new combat medium that extends the capabilities of the fighting troops. Warmates can operate in a swarm of up to ten machines and await a call from a sub-unit on the ground above the battlefield to detect a suitable target. This type of ammunition is not intended for fighting against armored targets, such as tanks, but against light targets: command posts, combat posts, communication systems or elements of logistic support.
After detecting the target, it can be attacked by handing over the coordinates to the Warmate command post, or a soldier in the field with the appropriate equipment (operator console or U-GATE – a system resembling binoculars using extended situational awareness) can take control of one or more of them and perform precise attack. For more difficult detection in the last phase of the attack, the engine is turned off and Warmate moves silently, minimizing the time to detect it.
Warmate can be controlled manually with a gamepad-like controller.
(Maciej Hypś, Konflikty.pl)
The school version of the system is used for training. From the outside, it is distinguished mainly by blue painting. The big, and invisible at first glance, difference from the combat version is the thicker reinforced hull, which can withstand more frequent landings, which can be hard in the hands of operators who are just learning. In addition, to avoid confusion, it is physically impossible to install a warhead into the school system. In the future, the main goal is to prepare the instructors.
– The aim of this training is to prepare operators of Warmate circulating ammunition sets. It lasts three weeks, explained Colonel Edward Chyła, the commander of the training of the Territorial Defense Forces. – We need this time to prepare the operator to perform basic tasks. The training aims to master the knowledge of the construction and operation of Warmate and combat work on this equipment, as well as tactical elements that integrate previously acquired knowledge in the form of comprehensive tasks.
The transceiver antenna is connected to the cable control console.
(Maciej Hypś, Konflikty.pl)
Data from Ukraine prove the role of reconnaissance drones, but also the need to use specialized structures designed from the beginning with military applications in mind. Due to the lack of other equipment, Ukrainians massively use cheap civilian drones, which can be purchased in specialized stores or ordinary supermarkets. According to the information provided during the training, Ukrainians lose about 600 such drones every week.
– This is the second week of our training – said one of the participants. – We have practiced the entire procedure so far. The first week we learned the theory behind the pre-launch procedure, gear setup and everything related to it. In the second week, the starting and steering training began, and at the end of the second week, we started practicing attacks. The exercise gives an insight into how much drones mean on the modern battlefield, what you can see from them, what you can destroy with them.
Moving Warmate to the starting position.
(Maciej Hypś, Konflikty.pl)
On the sidelines of the training, we managed to exchange a few words with a representative of the WB Group about the photos of the Iranian copy of Warmate circulating on the Internet. The case was summed up with the words that copying is the highest form of recognition, but in fact it is difficult to say anything more about it. The Iranian device resembles the first generation of Warmate, but as the manufacturer’s representative emphasized, copying or designing an identical hull is the simplest thing – the interior counts, and it does not seem that the Iranians have the appropriate technology to copy it. The question of where the Iranians could get Warmate also remains unanswered. The WB Group sells these systems only to selected countries (and Iran is not among them), but does not comment on their use by individual users afterwards. For example, it was not even possible to get a comment on the successes of the Warmates in Ukraine.
Also read: Projectile 358. Iranian circulating anti-aircraft ammunition
Maciej Hypś, Konflikty.pl
