IN Brief:
- Weibel Scientific has won an €84m contract from Polish defence electronics manufacturer PIT-RADWAR.
- XENTA-M5 radars will contribute detection, tracking and classification data to Poland’s SAN counter-UAS programme.
- The contract is Weibel’s largest to date; equipment quantities and delivery dates were not disclosed.
Weibel Scientific has secured an €84 million contract with Polish defence electronics manufacturer PIT-RADWAR to supply XENTA-M5 radar capability for the SAN counter-uncrewed-aircraft programme. The Danish manufacturer calls it the largest order in its history. The announcement identifies the customer, programme and radar type, but does not disclose equipment quantities, scheduled deliveries or a breakdown of the contract value.
SAN is intended to improve Poland’s ability to detect and respond to uncrewed aircraft within its wider national air defence network. Weibel’s radars will supply the sensor layer, identifying and tracking airborne objects so that connected command systems can assess their characteristics and determine a response. The announcement does not provide the number of radars ordered, installation sites, delivery timetable or the specific value of any wider SAN procurement.
The XENTA-M family is designed for short-range air surveillance, including small, slow and low-flying objects that can be difficult to separate from surrounding clutter. A radar detecting a drone near the ground must distinguish the aircraft’s movement from reflections caused by terrain, structures, birds and weather. The quality of this initial measurement affects subsequent track continuity, classification and the time available for an operator to assess whether an object presents a threat.
The XENTA-M5 belongs to Weibel’s X-band frequency-modulated continuous-wave radar family. Its 3D surveillance functions provide target measurements including bearing, range, altitude and velocity, while digital array processing supports track updates and observation of small airborne objects. The published product literature lists a nominal 75km instrumented range, but that specification is not a verified detection range for every drone type or installation. Actual performance depends on target characteristics, terrain, clutter and the selected operating configuration.
Accurate tracking is particularly relevant when drones fly slowly, hover or operate in groups. Filters intended to reduce false alarms must avoid discarding genuine slow-moving targets, while successive radar observations need to be associated with the correct aircraft. An integrated counter-UAS network may also combine radar data with other surveillance sources. Such sensor fusion requires compatible message formats, timing, track correlation and rules for resolving conflicting information.
The XENTA-M product family provides digital interfaces for command-and-control integration, including ASTERIX-format track information. Poland’s SAN integrators will need to connect the selected radar configuration to the programme’s own communication networks, displays and decision processes. A sensor contract does not by itself establish which interceptor, jammer or other effector will act on a target; those functions belong to the wider air-defence architecture and its engagement authorities.
PIT-RADWAR, the contractual customer, develops radar, air-defence electronics and command systems in Poland. Its involvement establishes a Polish industry interface for the Danish sensor supply within the wider SAN programme. Neither company has specified an agreed Polish manufacturing share, local assembly requirement or additional subcontract packages, so those outcomes should not be inferred from the identity of the customer alone.
Industrial delivery is an important part of the contract because a national sensor programme needs repeatable equipment performance across multiple deployed units. Radar manufacture must control radio-frequency components, antenna alignment, environmental protection, calibration and software configuration. Factory acceptance and later site tests are needed to show that delivered equipment meets specified requirements, with installation conditions potentially affecting coverage and tracking performance.
Weibel reports delivering more than 6,000 radar systems to customers in over 45 countries. The €84 million programme introduces a larger manufacturing and delivery obligation for the company, but the announcement includes no quantified factory expansion, recruitment plan or schedule for equipment acceptance. Repeatable calibration, component control, environmental testing and software configuration will all affect whether radars produced at different times deliver consistent track information.
A fielded radar network also needs sustainment arrangements for software releases, component replacement and the recalibration of installed equipment. If the same sensor type is used across multiple units, inconsistent firmware or configuration settings can produce different track outputs and complicate fused air pictures. Acceptance testing will have to establish how each unit communicates, what data quality it provides and how maintenance faults are reported to operators. The supplier has not disclosed the associated support-package scope.
Poland’s SAN programme brings sensors, command systems and counter-drone effectors into a broader national air-defence architecture. Weibel’s contract establishes one identified procurement within its detection layer; the company has not claimed to supply the whole system. Delivery volumes, the radar installation arrangements and the integration tests with Polish command systems remain the key undisclosed elements of this award.
