Borsuk IFV programme marks turning point for Poland’s armoured modernisation
The Borsuk vehicles are to replace the Soviet-designed BMP-1 as the Polish military’s main tracked Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV).
The Maverick M-series passive radar system from Silentium Defence. (Photo: Silentium Defence)
Silentium Defence has obtained a A$7.4 million ($5.44 million) contract to supply its Maverick M-series passive radar system to the Australian Army for capability development and evaluation activities.
In a 27 July statement, the Australian company claimed that Maverick M-Series is the ‘first high-performance, low-power, soldier-portable, covert radar system for air defence, land, and maritime surveillance’.
Silentium envisages Maverick M-Series as a complementary or replacement technology to traditional surveillance systems.
Dr James Palmer, CEO of Silentium, noted how the evolving battlespace includes ‘greater penetration of new, unmanned aerial systems alongside traditional threats’.
He added: ‘Comprehensive situational awareness with sufficient time to act has never been more critical.’
As a passive system, Maverick M-Series does not require spectrum allocation to operate, ‘which makes it more cost-effective to deploy in a world where spectrum is increasingly expensive and elusive to secure’, the company added.
Shephard previously reported that, following a successful Phase 1 Army Innovation Day contract for R&D of passive radar systems for land tactical environments, the Australian Defence Innovation Hub awarded Silentium a A$2 million deal in May 2020 to develop and deliver a Maverick M-Series prototype.
The Borsuk vehicles are to replace the Soviet-designed BMP-1 as the Polish military’s main tracked Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV).
The package of three standalone follow-on contracts makes this the largest contract won by the Australian company and larger than its total 2024 revenue.
Patria quotes a maximum rate of fire of eight rounds a minute from the new ARVE (ARtillery on VEhicle) self-propelled gun with a range of 40km for an assisted round. The rapid, low-risk development is designed to meet emerging requirements which have arisen out of the Ukraine war.
The termination of programmes such as JLTV and RCV has been harshly criticised by members of the US Congress.
In Conversation: Shephard's Gerrard Cowan talks to General Dynamics Mission Systems–United Kingdom’s Chris Burrows about how the company's UK TacCIS business is reshaping battlefield communications through sustained customer engagement, accelerated innovation and ecosystem collaboration.
This recent purchase of the medium-range air defence system adds to the country’s ongoing efforts to ramp up its overall defence readiness and capabilities.