Saab presented a wide range of its products, both for the Polish Armed Forces and foreign customers, at the MSPO 2016 exhibition in Kielce (Poland).
As in previous years, Saab promoted its SKELDAR V-200 medium-range VTOL UAV, designed for operations such as surveillance, intelligence gathering, light cargo transportation and electronic warfare. It can carry several payloads, including stabilised EO/IR sensors, SIGINT/ELENT systems, synthetic aperture radars, AIS transponders, ground-moving target indicator radars, hyper-spectral and multi-spectral cameras, communication systems, air droppable SAR pods, cargo hooks and searchlights/megaphones. SKELDAR might be procured by the Polish Navy, who wants VTOL UAVs (codenamed ALBATROS). Deliveries are planned for 2019-2020.
For the first time at MSPO, Saab presented its Global Eye multi-role surveillance system, which is a combination of Erieye ER (extended range) radar and mission system with Bombardier Global 6000 jet aircraft. Global Eye can carry out long-range detection, tracking and surveillance in the air over both sea and land. It can stay in the air up to 11 hours, according to Saab. The company added that the Global Eye can effectively detect and track small targets (vehicles and submarine periscopes) as well as those with reduced emission of radar spectrums, including stealth aircraft.
Part of Saab’s continuing offer to Poland is light, portable anti-tank grenade launchers. Those presented at Kielce include the AT-4 84 mm recoilless grenade launcher, NLAW 150 mm anti-tank missile launcher, and the Carl Gustaf M4 84 mm anti-tank recoilless rifle. A new anti-tank grenade launcher for the Polish Army is urgently needed as it still uses ageing and outdated RPG-7 grenade launchers. Saab AT-4 are used only by the Polish Special Forces.
An interesting element of Saab’s exposition was a scaled mock-up of the A26 submarine, offered to Poland under the ORKA codename. Saab competes with DCNS offering its Scorpene-class submarine and Thyssenkrupp marine systems (TKMS) with its Type 212A and 214A submarines.
Other interesting element of Saab’s offer was the long-range, land-based 250-pound class GLSDB (ground-launched small diameter bomb), developed with Boeing. According to Saab, GLSDB is capable of conducting reverse slope engagements and of effectively hitting various targets, including hardened facilities. It is equipped with a GPS/INS navigation, anti-jam and selective availability anti-spoofing module (SAASM) with a multipurpose penetrating blast-and-fragmentation warhead composed of carbon fibre case with conical steel nose for ultra-low fragmentation. GLSDB has a programmable electronic fuse (integrated electronic safe/arm fuse system or impact and delayed settings with height of burst sensor). Its declared accuracy is 1 metre and its range is 150 km. Up to six rockets can be loaded per pod.
Robert Czulda
