The Polish Armed Forces have completed a tender procedure for the supply of portable radars. The tender was won by the Hungarian company Pro Patria Electronics Kft with its PGSR-3i Beagle radar. The Hungarian bid worth PLN 43.4 million has easily beat the competition.
Radar (from the acronym Radio Detection and Ranging – determination of the range of objects using radio waves) is an object detection system that uses the phenomenon of radio wave reflection from the detected target. Radar allows to accurately determine the distance, direction, or size of objects.
The Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland have a limited number (fifty three) of MSTAR AN/PPS-5C radars acquired in 2013. These devices, produced by the British company Thorn EMI Electronics, are used by artillery and reconnaissance units of the Polish military. As these resources were insufficient, another tender procedure for portable radars was launched in 2015. The procedure ended in January this year.
The Polish Armed Forces have long been signalling the lack of a sufficient number of portable battlefield surveillance radars. Such a portable ground surveillance radar system runs on batteries. It is mostly designed to provide fire control for artillery units. It also detects the movements of enemy vehicles and troops. One of its key advantages is its limited weight (approx. 30 kilograms), which contributes to its portability. Beagle is a lightweight portable system, capable of intercepting and tracking targets moving on or close to the ground. According to the manufacturer, this radar is able to detect an enemy tank from a distance of 24 kilometres, and a moving group of soldiers from a distance of 10 kilometres. The complete PGRSR-3i ‘Beagle’ radar system can be carried in backpacks by two-man teams. It can also be mounted on vehicles and on field posts as needed. It can either be used as a standalone unit or operate in a network of radars.
Three companies took part in the tender procedure: a consortium created by the Polish company KenBIT Koenig i Wspólnicy Sp. J and ELTA Systems Ltd. from Israel, a consortium which comprised the Polish company WB Electronics SA and the American SRCTec LLC, as well as the Hungarian company Pro Patria Electronics Kft.
The Hungarian bid was considered to be the best with a total of 100 points, with 90 points given for the price and 10 points for the warranty term. On 5 February, the Polish National Appeals Chamber (KIO) dismissed the appeals filed by the competition, which ended the entire procedure defined by the restrictive provisions of the Public Procurement Law.
Pro Patria Electronics Ltd. specialises in surveillance systems. The Hungarian company is not a newcomer to the Polish arms market, as it previously provided the Polish Armed Forced with radars used on KTO Rosomak military vehicles.
Tomasz F. Dzbeński (Faculty of Law and Administration, University of Warsaw) is a lawyer who is passionate about the history of armed conflicts and shooting sports. For more than ten years, he lived abroad, namely in Great Britain and South Africa. Currently, he is professionally involved with the Foundation Institute for Eastern Studies, where he wields the role of the Coordinator for United Kingdom, Ireland and Commonwealth of Nations. His analyses concerning international issues are published by Polish portals.
Source: Defence24, Polska Zbrojna