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How APS – a company from Poland – becomes a global expert in detecting and neutralizing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)

Dariusz Wichniarek - APS
Dariusz Wichniarek - Vice President of Business Development at Advanced Protection Systems. fot. APS
We are pleased to present a reprint of an interview with Dariusz Wichniarek, a former soldier and Captain of the Naval Special Operations Unit – Formoza (Polish Navy SEALs), and Vice President of Business Development at Advanced Protection Systems. APS is a Polish company and a global expert specializing in detecting and neutralizing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The company continuously develops its products through collaboration with partners from the United States and Saudi Arabia, as well as through practice gained during exercises with NATO allies and battlefield experience in Ukraine. The interview by Julian Nettlefold was originally published in "Battlespace C4ISTAR Technologies" no. 4(27)2024.

Could you give our readers an outline of APS company?

Dariusz Wichniarek: – APS is a high-tech company headquartered in Gdynia, Poland. As a global expert we specialized in detecting and neutralizing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The company was founded in 2015 by two Polish scientists: dr. Maciej Klemm and dr. Radoslaw Piesiewicz. We independently develop, manufacture our products in Poland but deploy them worldwide. APS’s strong reputation is due to our FIELDctrl 3D MIMO radars, and our multi sensor and multi effector SKYctrl Counter-UAV systems (C-UAS). The heart of FIELDctrl radars accurately display real-time 3D position of the low-slow-small (LSS) objects as well as a distance and heading. Its 3Hz refresh rate gives the radar a significant competitive advantage. SKYctrl systems simultaneously track multiple objects of different classes and can detect all types of drones, including hovering ones. Our scalable, modular and fully configurable SKYctrl system can be deployed in stationary, portable and mobile (vehicle mounted) configurations. SKYctrl systems are uniquely designed to meet the customer’s requirements.

I would like to highlight that our FIELDctrl radars and SKYctrl counter-UAV systems (C-UAS) are battle-proven in Ukraine and are part of the inventory of the Polish Armed Forces. The key reasons why our solution was chosen by the Polish Armed Forces is because of the accuracy of detection and tracking of our radars and minimal false detection rate.

Radars manufactured by us are built entirely in Poland, including integrated circuits, electronics, mechatronics and software. We have completed dozens of projects around the world, in over 22 countries across the globe. They are constantly trialed and tested by military forces from NATO and non-NATO countries.

As the modern battlefield is evolving really dynamically – especially in the field of drone warfare – how does your company adapt to the new challenges?

APS is very agile in reacting to the needs of the modern battlefield and we are constantly developing new technologies and solutions to meet the modern battlefield requirements. Because our systems are battle proven, we receive feedback from the front line. Consequently our R&D has developed a Drone-Interceptor, which can be used against FPV drones and neutralize them with kinetic impact. Together with our FPV jammer, they have the competitive edge to successfully neutralize such drones. FPV drones are cruel, deadly and they don’t have any mercy for soldiers. APS offers a practical solution to protect and defend themself against these deadly flying weapon systems.

Maneuver is still essential, even in the highly contested areas. Are you ready to enhance force protection of the tactical units?

Our engineers and software developers constantly develop our radar detection capabilities, ensuring continuous peak performance. As part of this research, we have developed our own On-The-Move (OTM) solution. Now we are working with our most demanding military partners to reach a high level performance of our OTM solutions in terms of speed and distance.

You like to talk about the openness and modularity of your solutions. Can you provide any examples?

We successfully integrated our SKYctrl system into the most advanced, multilayered air defense system in Europe, which is currently built in Poland. Our solutions are already part of this very complex AD system, which includes: Patriot MRAD, NG IBCS, CAMM family of missiles, etc.

A good example of our international commitment is our cooperation with military partners from The Gulf Region. Recently our products are used by the Royal Jordanian Armed Forces (RJAF). APS has also entered into an agreement with the Prince Sultan Defence Studies & Research Centre (PSDSARC) from Saudi Arabia to strengthen the country’s defense capabilities by providing advanced radar technology.

With the experience and lessons learned from the Ukraine and Middle East, how can you support the US military with your capabilities?

We consider the United States as a very important market and we are keen to offer our proven C-UAV solutions to the US Armed Forces together with US partners. After years of research, development and creation of innovative products, we are now committed to building strong partnerships with US companies. APS recently attended the AUSA 2024 conference and exhibition in Washington to present our battle proven solutions for the US military potential clients. The exhibition was also an important opportunity to engage with industry stakeholders. For example, together with our US partner BlueHalo, we have already integrated our radars with their Laser Weapon System which was presented during AUSA.

At the beginning of December I will attend a conference in Arlington to present our C-UAV solutions and interact with military and low-enforcement service members. It will be a great time to talk to US companies looking to collaborate in the counter-drone domain.

As APS has developed, we are now in a position to build a strong partnership by sharing our experience, transferring our knowledge and technology to our US partners. US companies would benefit to have our close links with both military and civilian customers within the EU and worldwide.

 

Source: Battlespace portal

Klaudiusz Kaleta

editor-in-chief SektorObronny.pl
Publication date:
November 2024
APS | Battelspace | Dariusz Wichniarek | fieldctrl | nationalsecurity.pl | radar systems | sektorobronny.pl | skyctrl | UAV | Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
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