Sponsored Article. Written in Collaboration with PIT-RADWAR.

It was more than 7 decades ago when a conclusion was reached, that radar technologies are among the key domains that would be decisive for autonomy and self-sufficiency. Radars remain the first, and key source of information on the incoming threats. They allow the C2 systems to properly manage the available air and air defence assets, in a state defensive effort. They enable precise engagement to be conducted against very fast and small air threats, and ‘friend-or-foe’ identification systems protect the blue forces from friendly fire.

Knowing all this, Poland has taken care both to develop an industrial and scientific base and to provide the Polish Armed Forces with high-quality radars. This has been fostered by the wise and consistent action of, first and foremost, the Radio-Technical branch of the military, along with the Air Defence elements, which are trying to build an airtight system for the detection of airborne objects, flying at the lowest possible altitude.

Today, PIT-RADWAR is one of the biggest, and most relevant (within the context of security) entities, in the Polish defence industry. The company which is a part of the PGZ Group is delivering 90% of radars and command systems operated by the Polish Armed Forces.

In addition to the aforementioned radars, PIT-RADWAR S.A. offers command and fire control support systems, as well as weapons systems. Extensive product range places the company at the forefront of innovative weapons manufacturers in Europe. The broad portfolio makes it a leader among integrators of air defence and weapons systems.

PIT-RADWAR has more than 1,600 employees and several research centres, as well as constantly expanding production centres. Last year, the Company opened the Mazowieckie Centrum Produkcyjno-Serwisowe facility (Mazovia Manufacturing and Maintenance Centre) in Kobyłka near Warsaw. Work is also continuing on the establishment of the Dolnośląskie Centrum Produkcyjno-Serwisowe (Lower Silesia Manufacturing and Maintenance Centre) in Czernica near Wrocław.

How did it all start?

The history of Polish radar technology began on 22nd March 1934, when, by a resolution of the Minister of Posts and Telegraphs, the State Institute of Telecommunications (PIT) was established with its headquarters at Ratuszowa Street in Warsaw. The entity was based upon the Radiotechnical Institute which had existed since 1929, and the Teletechnical Laboratory subordinate to the Ministry of Posts and Telegraphs. Its job was to engage in telecommunications research - in military and civil domains alike. PIT, from the moment when it was founded until 1951 (with a brief interruption caused by WWII) was led by Professor Janusz Groszkowski.

The institute, initially, included three departments: Radio Engineering, Teletechnology, and Post Technology. The Department of Radio Engineering brought together the divisions of Test Control, Television, Broadcasting, Electron Tubes, Piezoelectric and Magnetic Materials. However, the scope of work was very quickly expanded, exemplified by the introduction of a separate Television Faculty in 1935. As a result of research undertaken by this Faculty, the first-ever Polish TV broadcaster began its operations in 1937, in the „Prudential” building in Warsaw.

The work carried out at the PIT institute between 1934 and 1939 included models of tubes for decimetre waves, magnetrons for 9 cm waves (used in the Gdynia - Jurata radio relay), excitation generators with high-frequency stability (including quartz and tourmaline oscillators), specialized instruments and measuring equipment.

After the war, work in the field of radar technologies was undertaken mainly at two centres: at the State Telecommunications Institute PIT, still headed by Professor Janusz Groszkowski, and at the Department of Radiolocation of the Warsaw University of Technology, headed by Professor Paweł Szulkin.

The work undertaken by these two research teams resulted in the creation of the R1 experimental impulse radar. It featured a triode-based transmitter (operating at around 200 MHz) and a Yagi-Uda antenna (installed on the roof of the PIT building in Ratuszowa Street in Warsaw). Based on the experience acquired during trials of this system, work began at PIT on a warning radar for the armed forces (based on technical requirements approved by the General Staff of the Polish Army).

Radar suitable for combat use, mounted on a truck, with a rotating Yagi-Uda antenna and a transmitter operating in the 600 MHz band, producing pulses with a width of 5 ms and a power of 200 kW, was developed in 1951. Back then, steps were made towards establishing the industrial capacity required to launch manufacturing of this radar.

Fire Director Radars First

Initially, a ‘dedicated design laboratory for radar matters’ was commissioned at the Marcin Kasprzak Radio Works (ZRK). Again, the PIT Special Radio Engineering Department and the Radar Department of the Gdansk University of Technology were relied upon to organize this laboratory. Professor Pawel Szulkin became the head of this new laboratory. Earlier on he had, after completing work on R1, managed to return to the Gdansk University of Technology, where he even became rector in 1950.

By the decision of the central authorities, he was reassigned to the Department of Radiolocation (Katedra Radiolokacji) at the Warsaw University of Technology together with eight of his colleagues from Gdansk. They became part of the new TL laboratory (this is probably an abbreviation for »Secret Laboratory«, »Tajne Laboratorium« in Polish). The project that the centre completed was the NYSA-A radar prototype (made in 1952, differing from the 1951 model by the use of a reflector antenna). Tests of that design were completed in 1953. And it is this year that is recognised as the birth date of the Polish radar industry.

NYSA-A radar was able to detect MiG-15 jets at a distance of around 150 kilometres, and its design was quite simple, not suitable for combat use - for instance, a Type-A oscilloscope was used for display purposes. It was therefore recommended that an improved version of this radar shall be developed and that work should be started on the NYSA-B height-finder, which worked with it. In 1953-54, a series of 5 examples of the NYSA-A radar were made and began trial operations in the armed forces.

In the meantime, a very important change took place, because in 1954 the work carried out by TL was taken over by the newly established T-1 Radio Works in Warsaw, on Poligonowa Street, which was later (on 25th May 1962) renamed the Warsaw Radio Works RAWAR. In turn, the Department of Ultrashort Wave Technology was separated from PIT to serve as a scientific base and carry out experimental work in the field of radar technology. The importance of the whole project can be seen from the fact that just one year later, five production departments were up and running at Poligonowa Street and 1,870 people were employed.

This facility started to manufacture its first product, the SON-4 fire director radar based on Soviet-provided licensing documentation. It was designed for fire control purposes, for the S-60 57 mm AAA guns. The radar was an exact copy of the US-made SCR-584 design. 31 radars as such were manufactured until 1957, and they were commissioned in the Polish Armed Forces. Later on, manufacturing was launched with regard to a modified variant of this fire director radar - the SON-9a, with a tunable magnetron used in the transceiver.

Between 1958 and 1961, 130 radars as such were delivered to the Polish military. 6 examples were exported. Furthermore, in 1958 manufacturing was launched concerning the automatic ASP-57 drive systems (based on license documentation provided by the Soviets), that processed the radar data into firing solutions for the guns. Fire director radars became a kind of WZR’s speciality. These were handled by the TLA, one of the two departments of the design bureau. The TLM department, meanwhile, was focused on developing marine navigation radars. PIT was working on the development of surveillance/observation radars.

WZR TLA’s work resulted in the development of a new STRZAŁA (Arrow) fire-directing radar. The manufacturing of that system was launched in 1961. This radar did not define the target position using a spinning beam. It used mono-pulse instead and featured an X-band transmitter. In 1961-1963 40 examples of this system were delivered to the military.

It was the last artillery station to be produced in Poland because, in line with the new concept of air defence, it was decided to base it more on Soviet SAM systems (delivered with their radars) than on AAA.

Marine Navigation Radars

X-band RLM-61 Bałtyk marine navigation radars, developed in Poland and manufactured starting from 1958 belonged to an entirely separate domain, developed by PIT and WZR. In the 1950s, several radars as such were made for Polish merchant ships. Between 1959 and 1965, manufacturing upgraded variants were being launched, namely RLM-61a and RLM-61b mod - 30 examples of those were made.

RLM-61 radars in the RP-61 version were also used to monitor the Polish maritime border by the WOP Border Protection Troops border guard service. This class of systems was undergoing continuous modernization, with a major emphasis placed on enhancing their performance and usability. In 1961, production of the RN-221 radar began, followed by the RN-222, and in 1965 the RN-231, a modern radar for the time (already with considerable help from a branch of the Industrial Institute of Telecommunications (PIT) in Gdansk).

The RN-231 was already comparable to products from world-renowned companies such as Kelvin-Hughes and Decca, having a higher-power transmitter (more than 75 kW), a receiver with increased gain, a display with a higher-resolution tube, a slotted antenna array (instead of the existing reflector antenna) and, most importantly, an increased mean failure interval of around 200 hours. Development work continued, and the RN-231A radar with improved reliability was introduced in 1968. In total, around 1,200 radars of the RN designation family have been produced at RAWAR.

Marine Navigation Radars were also the first Polish radar systems in which there was a complete departure from tube systems - they were replaced by transistors. In 1967 a series of radars started to be designed, designated TRN - which stood for Transistor-based Navigation Radars. A principle was also introduced, assuming that three numbers in the radar’s name would point to a specific radar configuration. The first one referred to the designator type, the second to the T/R block, and the third defined the type of antenna array.

Systems like TRN-311/312, TRN-423/424 and TRN-523/524 differed in antenna size, transmitter power output and designator screen size, tailored to the user requirements. They had two T/R block types to choose from, with pulse power of 10 and 25 kW, three display types - 9-, 12-, and 16-inch, and four antenna types with beam widths of, respectively: 1,8°, 1,2°, 0,9°, and 0,7°. These systems were commonly used on ships and warships. Export sales of these were also successful, with East Germany being the most prominent customer.

Another generational shift could have been noted in the SRN radars (Compound Navigation Radar, Scalony Radar Nawigacyjny). Here, digital signal processing systems were first employed. The first radars of this family (designated SRN-623/624) had high distance discrimination capacity (ca. 12 meters) plus changes enhancing the user interface - with a moving distance circle with a digital display, and an azimuth track line.

The 600 series radars monopolised the »eastern« market and were widely used in the then-Comecon countries. In total, more than 650 radars as such were made and the RAWAR inscription on antennas on ships became very common in ports. But the Polish industry also took on the smallest vessels into account, developing the small, compact SRN-206/207/207A/207M radars. More than 2,000 were sold (more than half of them for export), with deliveries still being made in the early 1990s.

Another »quantitative« success story came in the form of the SRN-300 series radars (SRN-301 and SRN-302 versions), manufactured from 1976 onwards, of which around 600 were manufactured (150 of which were for export). These were the cheapest marine navigation units, because of the unification of the indicator electronics assemblies. These radars, designed for small vessels, reverted to a design in which the antenna is mounted directly on the transmitter/receiver block (hence the second letter in their symbols is zero).

In the 1980s, the fourth generation of marine radar was developed, based on large-scale integration chips. These were the SRN-400, SRN-700 and MRN-800 radars (the latter already equipped with a ‘raster-scan’ type display, allowing observation in normal daylight and displaying additional information on the screen, such as maps and water body markings). In addition, an ARPA-2000 system was developed (in cooperation with the Gdansk University of Technology), which incorporated electronic means of assisting the operator to anticipate developments in marine traffic - warning of a possible collision, for example.

These solutions were recognised by the Romanians. They bought the license for the production of the SRN-700 series of radars in 1988 (acquiring the knowledge, documentation and technical assistance to organize radar production, as well as 20 radars coming in sets, as parts at various stages of assembly). The Romanians also commissioned the Polish industry to build a surface traffic radar control system (named DUNAJ), providing relevant coverage on the channel connecting the Danube with the Black Sea, between the village of Cernavodă and the port city of Constanta.

In the meantime, however, a kind of revolution has begun in the world, in terms of the development of microprocessor technology. This has made it easier for various companies to rapidly develop completely new models of navigation radars. And the prices went down, thanks to mass production. With competition that fierce, and with the decline in orders from Polish shipowners and the Polish Navy, RAWAR stood no chance of staying in the market in this area.

Therefore, in 1992, the TLM division for the design of marine navigation radars was brought to a close, which practically meant the end of work in this field. The last system based on naval radar technology was the N-27 radar. It was developed in the early 1990s to meet the requirements defined by the Navy. The sensor in question was designed to designate surface targets in a surface-to-surface missile guidance system.

ATC Radars

Air traffic control radars became the third, »periodic« speciality that the Polish radar-making industry became proficient in. AVIA radar was the first solution like that, it was developed by PIT in 1958 and installed at the Warsaw Okęcie airport. It was a pulse radar with a power output of ca. 600 kW, and with a Polish magnetron, operating at a wavelength of about 23 cm and a range of about 200 km. The said radar has clocked up almost 50,000 hours and has become a kind of testing ground for its new versions.

In 1967 it was the AVIA-B radar, which was installed at Okęcie Airport, in 1969 at Ławica Airport, then at the German airports of Cottbus and Neubrandenburg, and in 1973 at Pułtusk - as a weather and area control radar (designated AVIA-BM).

In turn, in the mid-1970s, versions of AVIA radars designated with the suffixes C, and D were introduced into production. Each time, the range of detection at a given probability of detection was increased, and further technical solutions were implemented.

In the case of the AVIA-C station (intended for air traffic control on flight levels, i.e. away from airports), cooperation with secondary radar has been ensured and a third, backup transmit/receive channel has been added, guaranteeing the use of the frequency diversity system, even in the event of one of the channels failing. The transmitter additionally uses magnetrons with a pulsed power of 1.5 MW at a pulse width of 3 µs. A good TES system was also provided and AC-BOS blocks, adapted from the military’s NAREW radars and later from the upgraded version of the JAWOR-M2 station, were introduced.

The AVIA-D/W air traffic control radar, on the other hand, is designed for air traffic control in the airport area. The coverage requirements were therefore less demanding than for AVIA-C radars. On the other hand, however, it was necessary to increase the discrimination capacity and frequency of refreshing the data, due to the high volumes of air traffic in the airport area. The AVIA-W systems are a version of the AVIA-D radar designed for military airfield application.

As in the case of marine navigation radars, Polish customers are currently not interested in purchasing airport radars and this segment of production is no longer being expanded by PIT-RADWAR (although opportunities to operate in this area remain).

Transition to Surveillance Radars

While development efforts on artillery, marine navigation and airfield radars had been abandoned in Poland, surveillance radars remained Poland’s permanent speciality. Back in 1995, prototypes of two radars as such were created: NYSA-B and NYSA-C. The former served as a height-finder, while the latter was a warning radar, derived from the NYSA-A artillery system. However, the transmitter was changed, which also operated in the 600 MHz band, but was based on a magnetron. In addition, a much more refined antenna array has been introduced, consisting of two antennas placed one above the other, with a span of about 7 m.

An independent transmitter/receiver system was attached to each, housed in a single antenna-transmitter-receiver cabin that rotates with the antennas. The whole system additionally consisted of a displays vehicle, where P-type and A-type displays and the R-H display of the NYSA-B height-finder, among others, were placed. This radar already had a ceiling of 15 km and a range of 300 km (when manually tracking with the antenna behind the target) but for large targets with an RCS of 10 square meters.

NYSA-B radar-height-finder has been an entirely new solution. It was a magnetron radar, operating at S-band (about 3 GHz) with an impulse power of about 1 MW. The elevation scan was done by antenna oscillations (at a frequency of 10 oscillations per minute) and in azimuth the antenna array together with the unmanned container as dictated by the NYSA-C cabin. This arrangement resulted in a height-finding accuracy of 700 m at a distance of 100 km and allowed a »sweep« of 180° in azimuth in 20 seconds. The Polish Armed Forces procured 49 systems as such. 5 were sold to Syria and 15 to Indonesia.

JAWOR warning radar operating in the L band turned out to be a true breakthrough in Polish radar development. Its prototype was born in 1961. This radar was comparable to its Western counterparts. It featured, for instance, the TES echo suppression system. JAWOR was a 2D radar, so it had to work together with the BOGOTA S-band height-finder, also developed by the WZR designers, and commissioned in 1963. 66 sets consisting of these two radars were commissioned in the Polish military until 1966.

In the meantime, WZW RAWAR also launched license manufacturing of the Soviet P-35M early warning radar. It offered performance better than JAWOR (longer range), but it had less impressive performance parameters, without the TES circuitry. The radar was also complex in its organization, with the set consisting of 7 vehicles. Production of these radars continued in 1965-69, allowing for the introduction of 100 sets in Poland and a further 30 in Warsaw Pact countries.

However, work on proprietary designs continued. This resulted in the Polish Army ordering, in 1963, a modernised version of the JAWOR radar, designated JAWOR-M. It already had the first transistors in the processing hardware, with the increased power of the probing pulse, a more sensitive receiver with an input amplifier based on domestically produced LFB tubes, a larger antenna with a span of 9 m, and a TES circuit based on memory tubes from the domestic ZELOS factory.

Modernisation work also included the BOGOTA-M height-finder, which used Polish TES memory tubes and transistors, it offered improved altitude accuracy from 700 m to 500 m at a distance of 140 km and introduced the R-H display with rectangular imaging and electronically generated altitude lines. The work of Polish scientists and engineers in cooperation with the military was successful, as almost 80 sets of JAWOR-M and BOGOTA-M were produced between 1967 and 73.

Technological Metamorphosis of the Polish Radar Technologies

The only limitation to producing truly world-class radars in Poland was the lack of access to appropriate technology. Back in the early 1970s, the principle was still adhered to that components and materials from the so-called »second payment area« could not be used in typical military equipment, and most cases tube systems were left in place. A breakthrough happened due, among other things, to a large order that was obtained from Libya.

The last devices still based largely on tube technology were the JAWOR-M2 observation radar (on which work was completed in 1971) and the NIDA height-finder (manufactured from 1975), which worked in conjunction with it. Between 1973-79, a total of more than 70 sets made out of these radars were supplied to domestic customers, in two versions (as far as the JAWOR-M2 is concerned): a transportable one with a 16 m span antenna (removable for transport) and a mobile one (with a 9 m span antenna, folded semi-automatically on the roof of the vehicle).

In addition to this system, a prototype of a new class of radar was developed in 1975, designed to detect low-flying objects. That radar designated NAREW, worked in the S-band and already had modern digital technology systems in place (including the PIT-developed analogue-digital AC BOS signal processing block), but it also used a lot of »tube« technology from the NIDA height-finder system. A distinctive feature of the NAREW radar was a telescopic mast (about 25 m high), which allowed detection of aircraft flying 50 m above the ground at a distance of more than 40 kilometres.

The AC BOS circuitry was a breakthrough. However, it was the Libyan order that led to a true generational breakthrough. It formed a basis for a strong Polish-Libyan cooperation throughout the 1980s. It was thanks to this that the modernisation of the JAWOR-M2 and NIDA radars was carried out, as well as further research work, e.g. on pulse compression and coherent radars (carried out since the mid-1970s at PIT).

The result was the NUR-2 family of S-band radars (later designated N-2), they had a range of about 100 km and a detection ceiling of up to 5,000 m. By the end of the 1980s, almost 40 radars as such were manufactured in a mobile version (N-21) for air defence systems, 10 radars in a version for Navy observation posts (N-23) and one in a shipborne version (N-25). Several NUR-23 radars were sold for export (to the GDR and Romania), two NUR-21 radars to India and one NUR-25 radar to the GDR.

The N-22 mobile radar station was the last radar of the N-2 family. It was mounted on a special TATRA-815 armoured wheeled chassis (which proved much cheaper than the tracked one). Only eight were produced between 1997 and 2003, as the Polish Armed Forces« problems with financing the purchase of larger batches of armaments had already begun by then.

In addition to the N-2 family of radars, the N-31 medium-range radar and the N-41 height-finder were put into production in the mid-1980s. This pair gradually replaced the worn-out and already obsolete JAWOR-M2 and NIDA systems. The N-31 radar (with a 9m-span reflector antenna and a transmitter with a maximum power of about 400 kW) provided detection of fighter aircraft distances of up to 200km and up to an altitude of about 25km.

For the N-41 height-finder, NIDA-proven mechanical and antenna array solutions were used. At the same time electronic components from modern coherent radars were utilized here, and everything was installed on a single vehicle. In that way, the N-41 could consist of 2 units only - a systems vehicle, and a trailer for carrying the antenna. What’s relevant is the fact that with the transmitter’s maximum power output of 100 kW, a 240 km detection range was achieved concerning fighter aircraft.

Automated C2 Systems - Another Unique Product by Polish Radar Technology Companies

N-31/41 systems were commissioned when another product by the Polish radar industry was being developed - namely the automated C2 systems. They made it possible to move on from audio-map work methodology to an automated system for radar data collection and dissemination to manage air defence assets.

DUNAJEC R&D programme launched by the Polish Ministry of Defence was the beginning of that process. PIT was the key contractor, with the Military Institute of Armament Technology contributing to software development, while the manufacturing efforts were assigned to WZR RAWAR. In 1978, design efforts began on two systems designated RPT-11 (for lower-tier radar posts) and RPT-21 (for upper-tier radars). Their task was to receive video and synchronisation signals from several radars, fuse the information thus received, trace the route of the objects observed and relay it to higher levels of command.

In both cases, the central unit came in the form of the ODRA-1325 computer, which was renamed RODAN-10 after being adapted for military use. An important element was the WPS-10 widescreen synthetic display, also developed at PIT, with a keypad and ball manipulator.

Until 1990 36 RPT-11 packages and 14 RPT-21 packages came off the production line. Later on, upgraded variants were manufactured - RPT-10 (27 examples), and RPT-20 (14 systems). Mobile versions of the DP-10/20/40 radar information collection and distribution systems were also manufactured, for air defence automation. These sets differed from the RPT systems in the new type of computer used and the means of radio communication.

The DP-10 system connected several radars by cable and formed a mobile radar post. In turn, a higher-tier set - the DP-20 - was fusing the information from several DP-10s and relayed it to the DP-40, used at the army’s air defence command post. DP-10/20/40 systems were integrated on unified containers, carried on Tatra trucks. The manufacturing of DP-10 was handled by WZR RAWAR, while the DP-20 and DP-40 were manufactured by the PIT Experimental Plant.

Another solution developed in Poland in this field was a command automation system that could be used at the SAM regiment level. It was built for the OSA-AK SAM systems purchased from the USSR, which had no command and fire control systems. To this end, a project code named ZENIT-0 was launched, which was run outside the official procurement of the Ministry of Defence.

The system developed within the framework of this project has been deployed in all Polish OPL regiments equipped operating the OSA-AK SAM and in one regiment equipped with the KUB SAM system. ZENIT-0 included four levels of automation, including the transmission of target and command data to individual fighting vehicles and the ongoing monitoring of their combat capability and task execution. The solution proved its worth and was used for more than 20 years until it was replaced by the next-generation system, ŁOWCZA-3.

Completely new tasks emerged after Poland’s accession to NATO, as exemplified by the KOSÓWKA project launched in 1997. It was related to the need to adapt Polish radars working in the airspace surveillance system to cooperate with the ASOC (Air Sovereignty Operation Centre).

This meant that data on detected airborne objects from radars such as the N-31, N-11M and N-12, once these radars were equipped with the appropriate digital interfaces, could be transmitted to an information collection centre, used to create a Recognized Air Picture (RAP) and later transmitted to all interested allies.

Thanks to the work done by PIT and RAWAR, three N-11M and ten N-31 radars were equipped with extractors and modems to transmit (via dedicated telephone lines) detection data (known as plots) to the ASOC centre, allowing them to be integrated into the allied air defence system. In 1999, the radars were additionally equipped with devices for the automatic readout of the IFF data, allowing this information to also be incorporated into the digital dispatches.

The development and production launch of the ŁOWCZA-3 command automation vehicle was undoubtedly one of the most prominent successes of the 1990s. The system, based on a tracked platform, was developed as early as 1990. Despite the positive outcome of the test programme, the manufacturing was not launched. This was caused by the lack of compatibility with the PR4G-radio-based radio communications suite.

WZR RAWAR developed the final variant of the ZWD-10R ŁOWCZA-3 vehicle in 1998. This resulted in a mobile air defence command post equipped with the hardware needed to effectively support the threat assessment and decision-making processes.

After a batch of three was created, based on a tracked chassis, modernization happened. Manufacturing was launched with regard to ZWD-10R Łowcza-3K vehicles on a wheeled Star 944 platform with SARNA bodywork. 24 examples in total were delivered.

A server with a central database and data collection/situational analysis/decision-making optimization software suite are the core elements of the ŁOWCZA-3 system. The operators can use up to 4 workstations providing them with an aggregated air picture and allowing them to assign tasks, send reports, and work with their own air assets, based on interoperability.

Ultimately ŁOWCZA-3 was used to create a complete command and control automation system for air defence purposes. It was also the first Polish weapons control system. The said system includes:

• Air picture information sources (mobile radars, air defence system);
• ZWD-10R – ŁOWCZA-3 command automation systems deployed at the command posts of the air defence regiments and squadrons of the Army, and the Navy;
• REGA-1 command vehicles operated by the command posts at the air defence battery level;
• REGA-2, REGA-3, and REGA-4 terminals used by fire units;
• WD-95 Command vehicles for S-60 AAA batteries (BLENDA system);
• REGA-5 vehicles interfacing that system with the allied environment, based on the LLAPI (Low-Level Air Picture Interface) standard.

REGA-2 terminals are mounted on OSA and KUB self-propelled anti-aircraft SAM systems, REGA-3 terminals are a part of the inventory of anti-aircraft platoons armed with GROM/PIORUN MANPADS and ZU-23-2 combined SAM/AAA systems, while REGA-4 terminals are a part of the inventory used by the anti-aircraft squads.

IFF System - A Complete Novelty

As we can see, Poland, despite being a part of the Warsaw Pact, was making a lot of effort to independently build most of the radars that the Armed Forces needed. IFF systems were an exception here. “Kremniy-2” and “Parol” systems were exclusively delivered by the USSR. When starting the process of preparing the Polish Armed Forces for joining NATO, it was decided that this entire identification system would be replaced with a proprietary solution, manufactured in Poland, but compatible with the NATO one.

The SUPRAŚL programme was launched in 1991. Its first stage involved a trend analysis for IFF systems, and it was conducted at RAWAR.

Licensing support from a Western company with relevant, domain-specific expertise was considered to be the best route. In September 1992, the Head of Research and Development of the Ministry of Defence approved the tactical and technical assumptions for the new IFF system, and in April 1993 a licensing contract was signed with the French company Thomson CSF-CNI for the production of the interrogators and transponders of the IFF Mk XII system at RADWAR.

The programme assumed that two IFF systems - a legacy one, and also an entirely new solution - would function during the transition period. For land-based surveillance radars, an autonomic AZUR reconnaissance systems package was developed. It came in the form of a separate vehicle or a trailer housing the interrogating equipment that could handle five different radars at once.

A total of 22 such systems were made, which allowed radars to use the new system without installing the new IFF hardware on each radar individually, while at the same time using the old Soviet IFF system, for which the radars were already adapted, as required. Thanks to this solution there was no need to modernize radars that were approaching the end of their lifecycles and were awaiting replacement.

For the aircraft, an assumption was adopted that they would respond within one system, regardless of whether transponder replacement happened already or not. As all ground-based radars could send inquiries in both systems, the whole IFF framework was tight.

The IFF implementation started with the airborne transponder systems. The first ones were integrated onto the Su-22 jets in 1994. In the end, the SUPRAŚL programme resulted in around 30 individual platform-specific installation projects, more than 200 setups of interrogating hardware sets on various types of radars and more than 400 setups of response systems on various aircraft.

This made it possible to smoothly get integrated with NATO in this area, ensuring safety for own and allied forces that could come help Poland, in the event of a potential crisis. The success is very much pronounced since the ability to design and manufacture the IFF system was established virtually from scratch. However, thanks to a good selection of a license, and a proper use of that license, new IFF systems could be designed domestically, when the Mode 5 requirement (better encryption) emerged.

One should remember that PIT-RADWAR initially manufactured Mark XII IFF systems that had Mode 4 compatibility. After NATO decided to replace it with a modern Mode 5, PIT-RADWAR began working on the new Mark XIIA IFF interrogators.

The work was completed and PIT-RADWAR now offers interrogators (short-range IKZ-50, medium-range ISZ-50 and long-range IDZ-50) and transponders (airborne TRL-50 also working as a RIFF enquiry device and ground-based TRN-50, working as a RIFF response device) working in the new format.

IKZ-M development study is also underway, aimed at creating a short-range interrogator for the GROM and PIORUN MANPADS. It is to replace the IKZ-01 interrogator that had been previously developed and rolled out by PIT-RADWAR, and that remains compatible with the GROM MANPADS.

This set of interrogation and response systems is complemented by PIT-RADWAR’s ICE-01 encryptor emulator, emulating the mode 5 encryption unit of the Mark XIIA IFF system. It allows for testing IFF Mark XIIA interrogators and transponders for their interoperability with the interoperable platforms. What is important, ICE-01 is not a CCI (Crypto Controlled Item) device, and it does not store confidential data.

AAA Systems

Similarly, as in the case of IFF, PZRA (self-propelled AAA/SAM) systems could possibly become an entirely new capability offered by the Polish radar-focused industry. These were to be developed during the LOARA programme, which was pursued by RADWAR in 1991.

Development of the LOARA system took 8 years throughout a complete R&D cycle, with a few years« break, caused by the lack of funding. In March 1998 the preliminary design was created, followed by a model, and in 2002 a prototype was born and it was submitted for state qualification. The commission supervising this test programme issued the final statement qualifying the LOARA AAA system as a piece of new equipment that could be commissioned in the Polish Armed Forces.

The system consisted of an AAA turret installed on a modernized T-72 MBT platform. The turret itself was equipped with, among other things: a 3D target detection and indication radar that could work when the vehicle was on the move (providing accurate location data for air threats and their identification with the IFF system), an integrated tracking sensor unit, with a tracking radar and optoelectronic sensors, and two 35 mm cannons (with an effective firing range of up to approximately 5,000 m and a rate of fire of 1,100 shots per minute).

Ultimately the manufacturing of the LOARA solution was not launched, as the Armed Forces did not place any orders. However, the domestically developed solutions, tailor-made for this project, along with the know-how, still remain at hand.

The first product derived directly from the LOARA programme came in the form of the BLENDA system (developed between 1994 and 1997), allowing for automated fire control of the 57 mm S-60 AAA systems. The BLENDA solution includes 4 guns and a fire control vehicle fitted with target detection and tracking sensors, systems for controlling the cannons, and the ability to stay networked with a higher-level command post. Whereas an optoelectronic system has been used for target detection and tracking here. It features a TV camera, thermal imaging system, laser rangefinder, and IFF interrogator. The guns have been fitted with servos ensuring automatic azimuth and elevation target tracking when coupled with a video-tracking unit.

The LOARA programme (specifically the 35 mm gun used in that project) was used as a springboard for solutions such as:

• OSU-35K naval gun - currently integrated on the Kormoran II-class MCMVs;
• AG-35 AAA system on a wheeled or tracked platform, featuring its own optoelectronics, capable of working with the WG-35 fire control vehicle.

New Era, New Issues, New Orders

The limited procurement of radars pursued by the Polish Ministry of Defence in the late 1980s also had a detrimental impact on the shape in which the Polish industry found itself. Fortunately, as the manufacturing orders decreased, the R&D spending levels were not being cut. That was very important for RADWAR, working on two critical programmes for the Polish Ministry of Defence: SUPRAŚL and LOARA.

In 1992 WZW RAWAR managed to launch manufacturing of the first Polish 3D radar (3D radar provides for radar ranging and direction in three dimensions; in addition to range, the more common two-dimensional radar provides only azimuth for direction, whereas the 3D radar also provides elevation) - the N-11 that had been in development at PIT since the early 80s. This was a solution based purely on domestically available components which was a factor limiting the designers and having a relevant impact on reliability. However, a breakthrough was made, resulting in even more modern solutions in the future.

Furthermore, the effort was launched to modernize the N-11 radars. The upgraded variant was delivered to the Polish Armed Forces between 1994 and 1996. Three radars as such were delivered, and they are still operated by the Polish Armed Forces. The 3D barrier was broken, with more models being launched soon afterwards.

Polish Radars - Bright Future Ahead

The aforesaid article provides the readers with an insight into the history of the Polish radars. By describing the key radars that have been manufactured in Poland since 1953, one can grasp the understanding of how many people were needed, and how much effort they have made, for the Polish industry to attain its current capacity.

Not only were they working at the RAWAR, RADWAR, PIT, and PIT-RADWAR companies described in the present article, but also at other research and industrial facilities.

This has been a huge effort, with a lot of programmes involved - including the ARS family airborne radars, SIGINT/ELINT systems, and passive marine radars. Based on the undertaken effort, PIT-RADWAR is able to offer modern solutions now, like:

• IFF Mark XIIA hardware package;
• Active P-18 PL Long Range Radar, long wave;
• SOŁA short-range radar (operated by the Army, alongside the POPRAD self-propelled SAM);
• POPRAD Self-Propelled SAM System (VSHORAD);
• BYSTRA short-range radar, with AESA C-band array;
• N22-N(3D) 3D mobile, medium range radar;
• TRS-15C 3D mobile medium-range surveillance radar (with air threat detection channel, developed for the Coastal Missile Squadrons of the Navy);
• TRS-15M 3D mobile surveillance radar, medium range;
• TRS-15M 3D mobile surveillance radar, medium range.

• RM-100 mobile radar for shore surface target detection;
• ARS-800 airborne radar for MPA or multi-sensor reconnaissance systems;
• LIWIEC Firefinder Radar System;

• GUNICA PRP-25M and PRP-25S reconnaissance onboard stations;
• SPL passive location system, fusing two complementary subsystems: PCL and PET.

One should also remember that PIT-RADWAR company remains involved in the NATO AGS initiative, the US missile defence system framework, and in the manufacturing of certain components for WISŁA and NAREW programmes.

However, all of these solutions have already been covered by Defence24.com and so this time we have decided to focus more on the past. As you can see, it has influenced what is now and what is sure to come in the upcoming years.

Sponsored Article. Written in Collaboration with PIT-RADWAR.