Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/901315
Piotr Wojciechowski: When developing FONET, we decided to de- sign an own unique solution. Thanks to this approach, we had a full control over the system, and the freedom to develop it in any direc- tion we wanted because the whole source code defining its perfor- mance was developed by us alone. Second, by thinking outside the box we could offer features that were previously unavailable to and not found in systems of such type. Our FONET IP combines the best qualities of systems based on both IP and non-IP technologies – it is a universal solution with no limits to how it can be applied. This is best proven by the fact that it is now manufactured in three countries apart from Poland, including the USA, on the basis of a license. We are probably the only Polish company whose military technology has been transferred to the USA, and whose systems are used opera- tionally by the United States Armed Forces. Thousands of sets of the system are manufactured each year. They are installed in both new and upgraded vehicles. At present, FONET is present in over 6,000 vehicles, with the number growing by the day. Last year we tried to learn what type of vehicles the system was installed in, and we found it was featured in almost 150 types. So it's fair to say that it's a Polish export hit and a huge success of Polish engineering. Piotr Chełchowski: Fonet, as I understand, can be continuously developed to offer new features. But although the system was WB Electronics' first mature solution that was successful across the globe, WB Group is now associated mainly with drones. How did this come to be? Piotr Wojciechowski: Let me offer a small correction, a systematiza- tion of terminology, that is. Drones are commonly thought of as small quadrocopters that can be bought in any supermarket, designed mainly for the civil market. In the military context, the air platform itself does not determine the success of the task. From the user's perspective, it is not what flies that matters, but the data it provides, the ability to perform in extreme conditions, in the presence of inten- tional interference, etc. The key elements here are systems of flight control, data transmission, and sensors. To put it in a nutshell: what matters is the entirety of electronics that makes a given drone able to perform the required tasks. You need a whole system to handle the process, and such system is called UAV. We at WB Group devel- op complete unmanned aerial vehicle systems, create concepts of their application and integration with other systems, i.e. command, reconnaissance, artillery, or fire control systems. We provide training to UAV users in that scope and collect feedback from our clients with regard to what's necessary to make the system better and more uni- versal. Our unmanned aerials have been used in combat for 15 years now. We are the only manufacturer and exporter of military UAVs in Poland. We're also the only Polish manufacturer whose UAVs have supported – and continue to support – Polish soldiers in their combat missions. Based on their experience and on the feedback received from our clients from abroad, we know that they perform superbly in armed conflicts. Another great source of our satisfaction is also the fact that our UAVs not only excel in combat, but are also utilized to help victims of natural disasters, pursue criminals and smugglers, survey power and gas supply networks, support road builders, and aid in activities aimed at environmental protection or securing e.g. railway transport infrastructure. Our UAV systems have logged thousands of hours in combat conditions, and our teams are always ready to provide pro- fessional air surveillance and monitoring. Adam Bartosiewicz: Exactly. What makes our unmanned system effective, reliable, and a class of its own is everything what's inside of it. Our love affair with unmanned systems was a result of a co- incidence, actually. After designing the Topaz fire control system for artillery, it turned out pretty quickly that there was also a need for "eyes" that would make it possible to evaluate the effects of the conducted activities on an ongoing basis. Saving Private Ryan-like spotters in church bell towers had been a thing of the past for a long time. It appeared that the best solution to address the said needs was an unmanned aerial vehicle. That's why we decided to integrate Topaz with UAVs that would make it possible to carry out reconnais- sance activities and to evaluate the actions taken in real time. I must admit that the beginnings were certainly not easy, though. Our first undertaking ended in a failure. Because our foreign partner who was to provide us with the air platform failed to meet their obligations, we lost a deal made in Hungary. This taught us that if we were to suc- ceed on the market, we couldn't rely on sub-suppliers but develop our own solutions instead and own 100% of key technologies form- ing the basis of the systems we were to offer. These assumptions led to cooperation with Flytronic, who after more than a dozen years is now our competence center in the area of unmanned aerial vehicle systems. It employs about 100 professionals who design and create UAV systems. It offers the biggest potential in this area in this part of Europe. We can therefore offer reliable UAV systems that have been proven in every climatic zone and excelled in combat in all conditions – even when confronted with powerful enemy interference systems – to clients from across the whole world. Piotr Chełchowski: Gentlemen, in such case, it's hard to avoid the question about your cooperation with the Polish Armed Forces. Since a Polish company manufactures one of the best UAV and command and communication systems in the world, one of the top www.fragoutmag.com