Industry
Polish Armed Forces Procure Airfield Radars
Photo. Hensoldt
In late July this year, the Armament Agency announced the relaunch of a tendering procedure, aimed at the acquisition of 15 systems for radar control of the airport area (RKRL systems), named Drawa. This is a continuation of the previous bidding procedure (launched in March 2022) that was cancelled, due to the lack of a proper bid being submitted. The bid submission deadline for the new tendering procedure has been set for 5th September 2023.
On 26th July this year, The Armament Agency issued a release via the Official Journal of the EU, regarding the launch of airport radars procurement procedure. "The order concerns delivery of 15 systems for radar control of airbase region (RKRL), including 8 as the baseline order, and 7 that could be procured, within the framework of the right of option, with the delivery also involving the establishment of the required infrastructure (including construction works) related to the setup and operation of the RKRL systems, and execution of training, delivery of the required documentation, and the logistics package", the release stated.
The final deadline for implementation of the baseline portion of the agreement was defined as 30th October 2028, for the portion envisaging the right of option the deadline was extended to 30th October 2031. The procedure is of a limited character, while the deadline for submission of requests for being a part of it, with the required documents, expires on 5th September 2023, 10:00 AM. The Armament Agency stated that the tendering procedure would involve up to 5 bidders, but the number of bidders may go up to 7 if need be.
Notably, this is the second attempt made at selecting a proper contractor, who would be asked to deliver a replacement of the Avia-W systems operated currently. Let us recall, the first tendering procedure was launched in March 2022. As we reported in May this year, the Armament Agency canceled the procurement, as "before the offer submission deadline expired, only one bid was submitted, and it was rejected based on Article 226, section 1, subsection 5 of the aforesaid act".
The procurement concerns, as the information above suggests, equipment that would be capable of carrying out continuous radar surveillance over the airfield, providing the user with radar information on the air picture in the areas of responsibility of the military TWR and APP organs. The modernization process in question is to heighten the levels of safety at the Polish airbases and ensure that they can work within the allied network, for instance by making sure a full data link capability is available, and that allied aircraft can be handled within the system.
The available information indicates that the airfield ATC radars were to utilize S-band 3D radar equipped with a Mode S IFF Mk XIIA, along with a military-grade GPS system with a SAASM module. The system should also be capable of exchanging the information with external systems, in compliance with ASTERIX and AWCIES standards. Furthermore, it shall be tailored for operation in a net-centric setting and should be certified up to the NATO Secret level.