A Polish military institute is teaming up with defense firm MBDA to produce supersonic interceptors. Multinational defense firm and missile systems specialist MBDA is teaming up with Poland’s Military Institute of Armament Technology (WITU) to develop a low-cost air-defense capability to counter large-scale drone threats. The project foresees WITU providing rocket systems to carry MBDA’s Counter-Mass Interceptor (CMI) warhead, which was unveiled by the defense conglomerate’s UK unit in July. The system is planned to become operational by next year, when the first test firings are expected. The parties, which announced their collaboration at Poland’s biggest annual armaments fair on Tuesday, said they had already launched initial testing in August. Polish sovereign capability CMI is a low-cost homing warhead designed to neutralize both reconnaissance and attack drones at distances of up to six kilometers, MBDA told Poland’s state-owned press agency, PAP. The missile to be developed by WITU is intended to be supersonic in order to tackle the latest-generation high-speed drones as well as cruise missiles, PAP’s sources said. An MBDA official said that the project’s aim is to develop a missile that costs around the same as the targets it will be used against, as well as to provide Poland with its own sovereign, mass produced drone defense capability that can also be used by other European allies. MBDA plans to produce its CMI warhead in Poland, subject to approval from Warsaw, PAP reported. The plans were unveiled at the International Defense Industry Exhibition (MSPO), widely regarded as Central and Eastern Europe's leading defense exhibition. The event is held annually in the southern Polish city of Kielce. It brings together defense manufacturers, military and government officials and industry players from dozens of countries to showcase military systems and technologies, as well as hosting discussions on international security policy and defense procurement programs.
