Polish donors handed over 16 Warmate drones to the SOF of Ukraine

Polish donors handed over 16 Warmate kamikaze drones to Ukrainian Special Operations Forces.

Drones were purchased due to the Polish specialized information portal Defence24 and the Warsaw Enterprise Institute fund.

Defence24 reported this on their social media on Tuesday.

It is noted that 16 Warmate loitering munitions were handed over to Brigadier General Viktor Khorenko, Commander of the Special Operations Forces.

The online media thanked everyone involved in the fundraising and purchase of these Polish-made kamikaze drones.

Polish donors handed over 16 Warmate drones to the SOF of Ukraine, May 2023. Photo credits: Defence24

“We want to thank everyone involved, especially the donors, who numbered over 13,000! Much respect to Michał Kuczmierowski, Head of the Material Reserves Agency of Poland, and Bartosz Cichocki, Polish Ambassador to Ukraine, for their professionalism! Thank you for the cooperation with WB Group!” Defence24 emphasized this in its statement.

Polish donors handed over 16 Warmate drones to the SOF of Ukraine, May 2023. Photo credits: Defence24

Warmate is a loitering munition developed by WB Electronics. It was first introduced in 2014. The manufacturer claims that the ammunition is a good alternative to anti-tank-guided missiles.

These loitering munitions are used to hit lightly armored vehicles and other critically important enemy objects.

Warmate loitering munition. Photo credits: Arvydas Anušauskas

The kamikaze drone allows destroying enemy targets at a greater distance and simplifies the process of detecting and hitting the target in comparison with the ATGM.

Warmate loitering munition of the Ukrainian forces. October 2022, Ukraine. A frame from a video by Oleh Horokhovsky

Operators mark a point on the map, provide autopilot data for a strike, and the drone hits the target on its own. However, on the final segment of the path, the operator can still independently guide the drone to the target.

Warmate loitering munition without the warhead of the Ukrainian forces. October 2022, Ukraine. A frame from a video by Oleh Horokhovsky

Version 3.0 of the combat unmanned aerial vehicle has improved parameters. These include, among other things, an increase in radio communication range and operating range. The new version is equipped with a significantly less noisy engine. The system has the ability to automatically fold the propeller blades in the final attack phase.

Militarnyi previously reported that donors have prepared 20 Warmate loitering munitions for the Ukrainian military. These drones are used against the Russian invaders in various areas of the front