On 12 January, the Mechanical Works Tarnów (ZMT), which are part of the Polish Armaments Group (PGZ), informed that on 22 December 2021 at the Lipa Proving Ground in Nowa Dęba the first firing tests of the Pirat ATGM, developed by Mesko and CRW Telesystem-Mesko companies, integrated with the Perun Wheeled Autonomous Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle. Earlier, in November last year, the vehicle was demonstrated to representatives of the Ministry of National Defence.
The Mechanical Works Tarnów carried out the first practice firing of the Pirat Anti-Tank Guided Missile mounted on the Perun Wheeled Autonomous Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle. Images: Aneta Gawle/ZMT
A system of Autonomous Wheeled Vehicle with Weapons Module for Reconnaissance and Combat Purposes codenamed Perun was entirely developed by the industrial and scientific consortium, which is formed by young scientists and researchers from Mechanical Works of Tarnów, Stekop and the Military Technical Academy (Wojskowa Akademia Techniczna – WAT).
Basic armament of the robot is a remotely controlled ZSMU A3C weapons module, armed with the 7.62 mm or 12.7 mm machine guns, as well as non-lethal deterring systems. Thanks to the open system configuration, it is possible to implement generally any functionality desired by a user, including additional devices or means of communication. At last year’s 29th International Defence Industry Exhibition – Międzynarodowy Salon Przemyslu Obronnego (MSPO) – in Kielce, a demonstrator of an unmanned vehicle for the Pirat ATGM was introduced. The next step were the firing tests, which took place at the end of 2021.
Damian Jarosz, the Perun Project Manager, said:
Thanks to the open configuration, we are able to contain the Perun within the master systems and integrate different types of armament or additional sensors. The integration of Perun with the Pirat ATGM and its CLU enebles not only to engage targets directly, but also to guide the precision ammunition (APR 155 mm and APR 120 mm) or other weapons compatible with STANAG 3733 (inter alia bombs and guided missiles guided by laser radiation reflected by fighter planes and drones).
The Pirat Anti-Tank Guded-Missile was developed at Mesko with the participation of the Development and Implementation Centre (Centrum Rozwojowo-Wdrożeniowe – CRW) Telesystem-Mesko. Pirat is a lightweight, portable short range (up to 2.5 km) ATGM, self-guiding on laser radiation reflected from a target, fired from the shoulder or from an universal, modular post for detection, tracking, identification and target indication (CLU – developed by CRW Telesystem-Mesko and PCO), containing a launcher with a tripod.
In the system, a precise guidance by the reflected laser beam illuminating the target was implemented, and the missile attacks the target from the so-called upper semi-sisphere which guarantees very high combat efficiency. The missile is equipped with a hollow-charge head (a different types of warheads can also be used), a laser tracking head, an instrument block and an engine block, a sustainer missile engine, and is mounted together with a take-off engine in a transport and launch container. In order to be launched, it is embedded in the launcher assembly and launched from the transport and launch container, using the take-off engine.
The Pirat is designed to combat the visually observed ground and air targets at any time of the day and night, including:
- contemporary mobile armoured targets protected by combined, ceramic layers or monolithic armour, including a reactive armour;
- small dimension targets like stronpoints, tank in trench, hull-down tank, slightly armoured vehicle or helicopter.
A characteristic feature of the set is automatic tracking of a target and automatic guidance of the missile flight to the laser point illuminated by a laser target designator.
Damian Jarosz added:
The recent firing test confirmed that the integration of the ZSMU A3C weapons module with Pirat ATGM proved correct. Thus, Perun became the first armed robot in Poland, which makes possible to carry out an effective and safe fire of machine guns as well as Pirat ATGM. It is worth emphasizing that the success is also the fact of consolidation of the military, scientific and Polish industry around the subject of combat robots. The unique knowledge gained during the implementation of the project enables further development in the field of unmanned armed ground platforms.
The aim of the Perun project is a prototype of the Autonomous Wheeled Vehicle with Weapons Module for Reconnaissance and Combat Purposes for the 6th PGT. The final effect of the project is an autonomous four-wheeled vehicle with a total weight of up to 900 kg, off-road capabilities, adapted for operations in all kinds of environment, including urban, equipped with a remotely controlled weapon module with a target tracking system and stabilisation. Project No. DOB-2P/02/03/2018, is being financed by the National Centre for Research and Development (Narodowe Centrum Badań i Rozwoju – NCBiR) as part of the Competition No. 2/P/2017 for the defence and security of the state entitled “Future technologies for defence – young scientists’ competition”.
