WB Group to supply TOPAZ and FONET to Croatia. Polish command and communications for a K239 Chunmoo battalion

The contract was signed on 10 September at the headquarters of the Croatian Ministry of Defence. It was signed by Adam Bartosiewicz, Vice President of WB Group, and Ivan Anušić, Minister of Defence of the Republic of Croatia. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković attended the ceremony.

A package deal with the Chunmoo launchers

The agreement is directly linked to Croatia's acquisition of a rocket battalion based on the South Korean K239 Chunmoo system. The launcher contract was concluded on the same day between the Croatian ministry and Hanwha Aerospace, WB Group's partner. It is the same pairing that supplies Chunmoo launchers to the Polish Army, where they are integrated with TOPAZ under the designation Homar-K.

– We are pleased that the FONET and TOPAZ systems will become part of the capabilities of the Croatian Armed Forces. This is another North Atlantic Alliance country that has decided to use a Polish command and communications system based on proven, interoperable solutions – said Adam Bartosiewicz, Vice President of WB Group.

For WB Group the Croatian contract extends the cooperation it already has with the Korean manufacturer on Polish artillery programmes. The integration model proven in Poland, in which a Korean platform receives a Polish command and communications layer, is now being transferred to another NATO member.

– Today's agreement is at the same time, in a way, an extension of our existing cooperation with Hanwha Aerospace, with whom we have already integrated solutions for Polish artillery. I thank the Croatian side for its trust and our Korean partners for good cooperation – Adam Bartosiewicz added.

Končar as local partner, support in country

The contract goes beyond the delivery of Polish system components. WB Group has declared its readiness to work with Croatian industry, including building local capabilities for the TOPAZ and FONET systems. Its partner on the Croatian side is to be the Končar group.

A local service base is intended to support the systems throughout their life cycle and to lay the foundations for further development of competences in Croatia. The cooperation model covers not only delivery but also long-term sustainment and development of the systems with the participation of local industry.

The contract extends the presence of FONET and TOPAZ across the Alliance and demonstrates that WB Group's integration capabilities allow both systems to be used on different platforms, with different effectors and equipment configurations.

What FONET and TOPAZ are

FONET is a digital on-board communications system for military vehicles. It integrates radios, on-board devices and command and battle management systems within a single communications architecture. It provides the crew with voice and data transmission, internal intercom and access to external radio networks, and enables the exchange of information between elements of the vehicle's equipment. Its modular, open architecture allows integration with different types of radios, terminals and C4I/BMS systems, so it can be adapted to wheeled and tracked platforms and their operational requirements.

TOPAZ is WB Group's command and fire control system, integrating sensors, command and effectors in a single solution. It enables the acquisition and distribution of target data, supports fire planning and execution, automates the exchange of information between elements of a formation and shortens the time from target detection to the use of an appropriate weapon. It can be integrated with various artillery systems and reconnaissance and communications assets, using interoperable protocols for fast and secure data exchange on the battlefield. In the Polish Armed Forces it is the primary system of the Rocket and Artillery Forces.