ITWL - the future is already today

Jet-2 is an unmanned aircraft missile training system designed for field training of air defense troops at the firing range from the Kub and Osa missile systems.

with prof. doctor hab. English Andrzej Zyliuk, Deputy Director for Research at the Air Force Institute of Technology (ITWL), Jerzy Gruszczynski and Maciej Szopa talk about the past, today and the challenges of the future.

How did it even start?

The Air Force Institute of Technology was established 65 years ago (until 1958 it was called the Air Force Research Institute), but our tradition goes much further, to the Scientific and Technical Department of the Air Navigation Division of the Ministry of Military Affairs, established in 1918, which indirectly gave rise to our institute. Since its inception, ITWL has developed hundreds of designs, structures and systems that have directly or indirectly contributed to improving the safety of aircraft operation, as well as increasing the combat readiness of the Polish Armed Forces.

What are the specific tasks facing the Air Force Institute of Technology?

The goal of ITWL is to provide research and development support for the operation of aviation equipment of the Polish Armed Forces. The easiest way to get acquainted with our tasks is to look at the names of our 10 research centers. So we have: Avionics Department, Aircraft Engines Department, Aviation Weapons Department, Aircraft Airworthiness Department, C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computer, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) Systems Integration Department, Airports Department, IT Logistics Department, Department of Aircraft and Helicopters, Department of Training Systems and Department of Fuels and Lubricants. Currently, we employ about 600 people, including 410 researchers. The Institute is a self-supporting subdivision, it also receives grants for statutory activities from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, these funds are mainly intended for innovative projects. ITWL is under the control of the Minister of National Defence.

We are the undisputed leader in extending the life of military aircraft. I mean all helicopters of the Mi family (Mi-8, Mi-14, Mi-17 and Mi-24), as well as Su-22, MiG-29 and TS-11 Iskra. This is the competence of ITWL and Wojskowe Zakłady Lotnicze No. 1 SA in Lodz and WZL No. 2 SA in Bydgoszcz, and we do this together exclusively on the basis of Polish technologies. We can increase the service life of Mi-8 helicopters up to 45 years, Mi-14 up to 36 years, Mi-17 up to 42 and Mi-24 up to 45 years. In turn, we extended the service life of the Su-22 by ten years. It should be emphasized that we do this without contact with manufacturers. This is a global phenomenon, especially since we have been successfully doing this for 25 years and have done the same with the MiG-21. There has never been a plane or helicopter crash in connection with this. The political transformation forced us to prepare the appropriate technologies, when the USSR stopped supporting the operation of Soviet aviation equipment in Polish aviation technology. We have created the Samanta IT system, where 2-5 thousand are assigned to each aircraft. Items. Thanks to him, the commander on an ongoing basis has very detailed data on each instance. In fact, the very beginnings of this technology appeared in ITWL at the turn of the 60s and 70s ...

ITWL is also modernizing...

Yes, but the directive decisions in this area do not belong to us, we can only propose them. We remind you that there are implemented Polish solutions that, for various reasons, can be introduced into the no-tender system. There are technical possibilities. We have proven this in two cases: on the W-3PL-Głuszec battlefield support helicopter (used for combat search and rescue operations) and on the PZL-130TC-II Glass Cockpit (Orlik MPT) aircraft. Today it is a training aircraft, but its transformation into a combat training aircraft for us is only a matter of solution and a task. In turn, the “digital” W-3PL Głuszec helicopters have been in operation for eight years now and the crews are satisfied with them. The average flight time of Glushek is much higher than the average flight time of a statistical helicopter of the Polish Army. It has twice the MTBF compared to the basic W-3 Sokół helicopter. Thus, there is no factual support for the theory that a more modern machine, being more complex, should be more unreliable than a simpler machine equipped with less electronics.

In addition to comprehensive integration solutions, we have developed and implemented limited modernization solutions. One of them is an integrated communication system (ICS) installed on almost all Mi-8, Mi-17 and Mi-24 helicopters, which allows providing multi-channel secure digital communication for both the crew and the landing commander. Helmet displays are other solutions. In 2011, the SWPL-1 Cyklop helmet-mounted flight data display system developed by us was launched - the only such device, except for the Israeli one, integrated with the Mi-17 helicopter. Our solution uses existing onboard sources and does not require the addition of an additional navigation system. A further development of the Cyclops is the NSC-1 Orion helmet-mounted sighting system. Although it was developed for the W-3PL Głuszec, it can be installed on other aircraft (functions can be performed independently or in conjunction with an optoelectronic head). This is an example of cooperation between several Polish companies that complement each other in creating a product. ITWL was responsible for the concept, electronics and software, the helmet was developed by FAS from Bielsko-Biala, optics and optoelectronics by PCO SA, and the controlled mobile station from ZM Tarnów was built on a W-3PL helicopter from WSK “PZL-Świdnik”. SA In addition to the Mi-17, we have developed and tested a new self-defense system that does not require any structural changes, and at the same time created in accordance with NATO standards. At any time, we can also integrate the W-3PL Głuszec helicopter with anti-tank guided missiles - whether it be the Spike family (used in the Polish army) or others, at the request of the customer. Another thing is the digital integrated avionics system that we created for the Mi family of helicopters, including the Mi-24, to replace their on-board equipment from the 70s, which is too primitive to meet the requirements of the modern battlefield.

We are also trying to convince the Ministry of Defense to reengineer the Mi-8, Mi-17 and Mi-24 (the decision to extend the service life of helicopters of this type has been made, discussions are currently underway to determine the amount of modernization), with new, more powerful and economical engines, which could be supplied by the Ukrainian company Motor Sicz. Their development would increase the cost of modernization, but given the fact that by the end of their use in the RF Armed Forces they would not need to be repaired, due to their long resource, it turns out that this could be a good deal. The upgraded Mi-24 will be able to have more than 70-80 percent. combat capabilities of new attack helicopters acquired under the Kruk program. We would achieve this at a much lower cost. For the price of two new attack helicopters, we can upgrade an Mi-24 squadron. A prerequisite: we do it ourselves in the country.