The editors of Defence24.pl received information from the Armament Agency regarding the entities that have applied for the initial market consultations regarding the acquisition of the tracked scattered minelaying system (Baobab-G).
In the second half of January, the Armament Agency announced its intention to conduct preliminary market consultations regarding the acquisition of an armoured scattered mine-laying personnel carrier with tracked traction for the Polish Army. The mines are to be fired from six launchers mounted on a chassis containing 20 cassettes (each of them holds five MN-123 anti-tank mines manufactured at the Belma plant).
The vehicle is to have a supply of the above combat assets of 600 pieces. What else is the future Baobab-G supposed to be characterized by? it was described by editor Walkowski in this text.
At the end of February, the editorial office of Defence24 received information from the Department of Social Communication of the Armament Agency regarding the entities that had applied for the described procedure. They are:
- Huta Stalowa Wola S.A. as a manufacturer of scattered minelaying systems on wheeled and tracked chassis,
- Bydgoszcz Electromechanical Works “BELMA” S.A. in the field of scattered minelaying elements.
The consultations are to last until 31 May, although they may be extended if the objectives of the procedure are not achieved. The acquired tracked scattered minelaying systems will be the successor of the previously used Kroton vehicles in the number of 6 vehicles. Next to them, 24 wheeled Baobabs-K will serve, which will allow the Polish Army to build flexible minelaying capabilities. In this regard, it would still be worth considering the acquisition of mine ammunition, e.g. for rocket artillery.
Baobab-K is a research and development project carried out by a consortium of companies belonging to the Polish Armaments Group. Among them, we can mention Huta Stalowa Wola S.A. (leader), as well as Jelcz Sp. z o. o., BZE Belma S.A. and the Military Institute of Engineering Technology, which developed this system. The last stage was the agreement concluded on December 28, 2018. On the basis of the agreement, a scattered minelaying vehicle is developed on the chassis of the Jelcz 662D.43 military truck, which performs scattered minelaying tasks by setting light, medium and heavy anti-tank minefields of selected density, capable of destroying or damaging various types of enemy military vehicles.
The minefield laying process takes place from the control station, in a fully automated manner, and the mines themselves can be programmed for a specific time of self-destruction. In automatic mode, the on-board computer calculates the speed of the vehicle, the settings of the launcher and adjusts the frequency of launching the mines while driving. In addition, the parameters and coordinates of the minefields are recorded on digital maps and displayed on a computer screen. All data can then be transmitted by radio to a higher level of command. The time of laying a minefield using all mines is about 22 minutes. The range of mine spreading is from 30 to 90 meters along a moving vehicle, and its length itself is up to 1800 meters at a laying speed of 5 to 25 km/h.
The crew of this vehicle consists of two soldiers (driver-mechanic and commander-system operator) occupying positions in the armored cabin. They have at their disposal a visualization terminal with a digital map, the Fonet internal communication system, the RRC 9311AP VHF radio, GSP and an odometer. Passive protection is provided by the “Obra” self-defense system integrated with eight detection heads and eight smoke grenade launchers. The vehicle is equipped with six launcher modules, 20 barrels each, which can accommodate cassettes holding five selected types of mines. In total, it can transport and lay a minefield consisting of as many as 600 mines at the same time. The loading time for all mines is approx. 30 minutes, and the launchers themselves can be moved using an integral HIAB crane. The basic armament of the Baobab system are MN-123 anti-tank mines, manufactured by Belma from Bydgoszcz.
Author. Eurocorps/LinkedIn