Defence

Poland's Scientific-Industrial Centre of Professional Electronics (Radwar) has signed an agreement to co-operate in Rheinmetall Defence Electronics' KZO surveillance and reconnaissance unmanned air vehicle programme.

Radwar will be responsible for manufacturing some system components if the Polish land forces buy the tactical KZO, and also for providing maintenance services and personnel training. Rheinmetall says there will be no restrictions on technology transfer, and Germany is also prepared to release some source codes and to approve the licensed manufacture of electro-optical sensors.

Poland's Telecommunications Research Institute meanwhile plans to develop an approximately 25kg (55lb) lightweight synthetic aperture radar for a domestic variant of the KZO. Rheinmetall is also looking into the possibility of installing a datalink manufactured by Poland's Satcom. The German manufacturer is also pursuing a development programme to equip the KZO with a new engine capable of extending its endurance from a current maximum of 5.5h.

Rheinmetall and Radwar also announced a separate marketing agreement to promote the KZO system worldwide, but declined to provide further details during the 8-11 September International Defence Industry Exhibition (MSPO) in Kielce, Poland.

Additional reporting by Grzegorz Sobczak