On Friday, April 5, 2024, the 2nd Regional Logistics Base from Warsaw signed a contract worth 35.7 million PLN (8.99 million USD) with WB Electronics (part of the WB Group) for the service of Topaz fire control system and support for the operation of rocket and artillery squadrons equipped with Topaz Automated Fire Control System and RRC radio sets.
Photo: WB Group
The contract will be executed between April 12, 2024, and November 30, 2026. The ordering party has chosen the negotiation procedure with the selected entity without prior publication of an invitation to tender. This is due to the fact that, as stated, WB Electronics declared itself to be the author and sole owner of the copyright for the mechanical-electronic project as well as the software concerning: FONET Digital Communication Platform, and also holds a registered trademark for TOPAZ Automated Fire Control System.
The company also declared that it has not provided and does not intend to provide rights to the technical documentation to other business entities. The technical documentation for Topaz Automated Fire Control System remains the sole property of WB Electronics.
According to the statements provided by the contractor, there are no other entities that could provide the maintenance and servicing of Topaz AFCS system and support for the operation of rocket and artillery squadrons equipped with Topaz Automated Fire Control Systems, Topaz Fire Control System, and RRC type radio stations without the aforementioned technical documentation.
On March 14th of this year, Poland, after passing all required interoperability tests, gained membership in the international initiative Artillery Systems Cooperation Activities (ASCA). Thus, Topaz confirmed its status as a national artillery system for Rocket and Artillery Forces of the Polish Army, integrated into the chain of allied command (Poland with the TOPAZ system accepted into ASCA).
Between July 7th and July 23rd, 2023, the automated fire control system Topaz with the ASCA interface underwent detailed interoperability tests with allied systems.
On July 7, 2023, the Armament Agency concluded an executive contract with WB Electronics under the framework agreement from November 2022, concerning the modification of Topaz AFCS to serve as an automated command and control system within the framework of Topaz+.
It is worth noting that on May 23, 2023, the Topaz Fire Control System was selected by its first export user – Bulgaria.