South Korea to Purchase 200 Polish Warmate Drones

The South Korean Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has signed a contract with Poland’s WB Group for the supply of loitering munitions (kamikaze drones) Warmate. An agreement for cooperation on new types of munitions was also signed. “A total of nearly two hundred Warmate 3 units in combat and training variants will be delivered to Korea,” WB Group reported.

The KADEX defense exhibition is currently taking place in Gyeryongdae, South Korea, where the Polish WB Group is present. WB is known for producing reconnaissance drones such as FlyEye and kamikaze drones like Warmate, which have been successfully used by Ukrainian forces in their defense against Russia.

Simultaneously, a visit by Paweł Bejda, Deputy Minister of Defense responsible for armament, is underway in South Korea. Bejda is holding talks regarding the acquisition and transfer of technology to Poland, particularly related to the production of K2 tanks and other equipment that Poland is sourcing from South Korea. Bejda also met with WB representatives at the exhibition.

As announced on the company’s profile on X (formerly Twitter), WB Group signed a contract for the supply of nearly two hundred Warmate 3 drones with the South Korean defense agency DAPA during the exhibition.

“WB Group’s unmanned strike systems are proven equipment that has been tested in the toughest conditions of high-intensity conflict. A total of nearly two hundred Warmate 3 units in combat and training variants will be delivered to Korea,” the company stated in a press release.

WB Group is one of Poland’s largest private companies operating in the defense sector. It supplies the Polish military with communication and battle management systems for artillery, including for Krab self-propelled howitzers and Rak self-propelled mortars (the TOPAZ system). WB also provides communication systems for ground forces, installed in vehicles such as the Rosomak armored personnel carrier in various configurations, as well as unmanned systems, including reconnaissance drones like FlyEye and loitering munitions (kamikaze drones) like Warmate.

The contract was signed on the sidelines of the Korea Army International Defense Exhibition (KADEX), which is being held at the headquarters of South Korea’s armed forces in Gyeryong, approximately 150 kilometers south of Seoul. According to Yonhap News Agency, under the terms of the agreement, the ministry plans to begin deliveries of the Warmate unmanned combat aerial vehicles to the army in November and implement them by the end of the year.