MESKO SA in MBDA's global supply chain

Since the autumn of last year, the MBDA group, the largest rocket manufacturer in Europe, has been cooperating with the MESKO SA factories from Skarzysko-Kamienna in the production of components for CAMM, ASRAAM and Brimstone rockets. In the photo, a CAMM short-range anti-aircraft missile launcher on the Polish carrier Jelcz P882, as an element of the Narew system.

In early July, the MBDA group, the largest missile manufacturer in Europe, placed an order with MESKO SA for the production of the next batch of components for CAMM, ASRAAM and Brimstone missiles. First level. This is another step towards tightening cooperation between the company from Skarzysko-Kamienna with world leaders in the production of advanced weapons, the main goal of which is to create new competencies before participating in the implementation of subsequent programs for the modernization of the Polish Armed Forces.

The factories of MESKO SA in Skarzysko-Kamenna, owned by Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa SA, are today the only manufacturer of precision-guided munitions in the country, as well as anti-tank missile systems (Spike, Pirat) and anti-aircraft missile systems (Grom, Piorun) that use it. Together with leading domestic and foreign companies, it is also involved in strategic missile systems development programs implemented by Polish research institutes and defense industry enterprises.

At the beginning of the XNUMXth century, at the factories of Skarzysko-Kamenny, the Grom man-portable anti-aircraft missile system, completely developed in Poland, was put into production (except for ZM MESKO SA, it should be mentioned here: Institute of Quantum Electronics of the Military Technological University, Centrum Rozwoju - Implementation of Telesystem-Mesko Sp. Z oo, Research Center “Skarzysko”, Institute of Organic Industry, Military Institute of Weapons Technology). To this day, the Thunder kit is supplied to foreign users from: Japan, Georgia, Indonesia, the USA and Lithuania.

If the CAMM missile is chosen by the Ministry of National Defense as the main means of destroying the Narev system, the companies of the PGZ group, including MESKO SA, will be interested in starting the production of its next blocks, as well as in the final assembly, testing and monitoring of the condition of these missiles.

In 2016, the program for the modernization of the Grom installation, codenamed Piorun, was completed, within which MESKO SA, in cooperation with: CRW Telesystem-Mesko Sp. z oo, Military University of Technology, Military Institute of Weapons Technology, Institute of Nonferrous Metals, Poznań Branch, Central Laboratory of Batteries and Cells and Special Production Plant.

GAMRAT Sp. z oo, PCO SA and Etronika Sp. z oo has developed a modern man-portable anti-aircraft missile system. It has the ability to deal with most modern means of air attack in the tactical zone, it also has significantly improved spatial parameters (range 6500 m, maximum target height 4000 m). Piorun used:

• new homing head (new, more advanced detectors, which made it possible to increase the detection and tracking ranges of the target; optimization of the optics and operating ranges of the detector; change of signal pre-processing systems to digital ones; selection, increased battery life, these changes can significantly improve the accuracy of guidance and increase resistance to heat traps (flare), which results in the effectiveness of the fight against targets);
• changes in the field of the trigger mechanism (fully digital signal processing, improved target selection by choosing options: aircraft / helicopter, rocket, which, in fact, by pairing the choice with a programmable homing head, optimizes the missile guidance algorithms; in the launch mechanism, the use of authorization and the “my- stranger");
• a thermal imaging sight has been added to the kit, allowing you to fight targets at night;
• a non-contact projectile fuse was introduced;
• the operation of the sustainer rocket engine was optimized, which made it possible to increase the range of controlled flight;
• The Piorun kit can interact with the command system and the "self-alien" identification system.

The Piorun kit is mass-produced and has been supplied to the Polish Armed Forces since 2018 under an agreement concluded with the Armaments Inspectorate of the Ministry of National Defense on December 20, 2016 (see, in particular, WiT 9/2018).

MESKO SA, in cooperation with partners from Poland and abroad, is also working on high-precision artillery munitions guided by reflected laser light for 120 mm mortars (APR 120) and 155 mm cannon howitzers (APR 155), as well as on Anti-Tank the Pirat missile system using a similar guidance method (see WiT 6/2020).

In addition to the development of its own products, another direction of activity of MESKO SA in the field of guided missile weapons is cooperation with leading manufacturers of this type of ammunition from Western countries. It was initiated by an agreement dated December 29, 2003 between the Ministry of National Defense and the Israeli company Rafael. As part of it, the Polish Armed Forces purchased 264 portable launchers with CLU guidance units and 2675 Spike-LR Dual anti-tank guided missiles, which were to be delivered in 2004-2013. The condition of the contract was the transfer of rights to licensed production of the Spike-LR Dual ATGM and the production of many of its components to ZM MESKO SA. The first rockets were produced in Skarzysko-Kamenna in 2007 and the 2009th rocket was delivered in 17. On December 2015, 2017, a contract was signed with IU MES for the supply of another thousand Spike-LR Dual missiles in 2021-XNUMX, which is currently being implemented.

In recent years, MESKO SA has also entered into agreements with several other global manufacturers of missile weapons or their components, of which two letters of intent with the American company Raytheon (September 2014 and March 2015) or a letter of intent with the French company TDA. (100% owned by Thales) since September 2016. All documents relate to the possibility of manufacturing modern rocket munitions in Poland for the domestic market and for foreign customers.