During the 2024 International Defense Industry Exhibition (MSPO) held in Kielce, Poland, WB GROUP presented a concept for a kamikaze attack drone called Warmate 50. The new Polish drone stands out for its size and exceptional range.
Still under development, the Warmate 50 is an unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) that will be powered by a combustion engine, allowing it to impact targets with its 50-kilogram warhead.
According to the Polish website Defence 24, WB GROUP is still working on the final design of this long-range suicide drone, and has not yet provided an estimate of its flight speed or endurance, although it was mentioned that it could carry out attacks hundreds of kilometers from its launch point (rumored to have a range of 1,000 km)
1000 km zasięgu dla bezzałogowca od @WBGroup_PL? Brałbym 😎 pic.twitter.com/9RxH0h6b1E
— Wojciech Kozioł (@KoziolWojciech) September 3, 2024
The manufacturer also mentioned that, unlike other loitering munition models, which can swap their payloads to perform reconnaissance or attack missions, the Warmate 50 only has one type of payload – explosive –, adopting an approach to maximize combat effectiveness at the expense of the flexibility of surveillance functions. It is an unmanned aerial vehicle designed expressly for attack missions.
Drawing inspiration from the Ukraine conflict, the Warmate 50 is intended to provide a long-range strike capability, targeting deep enemy rear areas. Its design seems to be oriented towards allowing the deployment of a large number of units at a relatively low cost per platform.
A very present example of this type of system in use can be found in the Geran 2/Shahed 136 suicide drones used by Russia to attack all types of Ukrainian targets at long range, launching them in large waves to wear down the adversary’s air defense capabilities.
