Varan wheeled armoured personnel carriers are passing road tests. The vehicles have appeared on the streets of Sanok, where they are being developed at the Autosan factory, a Sanok branch of Huta Stalowa Wola. The footage published by Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) shows two examples of the Varans, both in the version with the Gladius system unmanned aerial vehicle launcher.

The last time to hear about the new design for the Polish Army was in August, when the army presented the machines in front of Warsaw’s National Stadium as part of the then ongoing parade. In December 2022, Ministry of Defence announced the delivery of the first elements comprising the Gladius unmanned search and strike system.

Now PGZ reports that the manufacturer is carrying out road tests of the transporter, with prototypes appearing in 2021 and series production expected in 2023. The Varan, combined with the Gladius system, is a combination that can be described as the ‘eyes of the Polish army’.

Manufactured by Polish company WB Electronics, the Gladius system consists of two drones: FT-5 and BSP-U. The first is a precision aerial reconnaissance device, while the second is a circulating munition for direct attacks. Both drones are integrated with the Topaz battlefield management system.

The FT-5 is said to be capable of reconnaissance at altitudes of up to 5km for as long as 10 hours and has a top speed of 180km/h. The BSP-U accelerates to 200 km/h and is expected to effectively eliminate targets up to 100 km away from the launch site.

The Varan weighs about 13 tonnes, accelerates to 110 km/h and can cover up to 650 km on a single refuelling. The armour is designed to provide a second level of ballistic and mine protection. The basic armament of the Varan is the UKM-2000 7.62mm calibre machine gun and the Obra-3 self-defence system known from the Rosomak transporter and PT-91 Twardy tank, among others.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński