WB Group, Poland’s largest private defence technology firm, has unveiled its Warmate Tube-Launched Loitering Munition System at Aero India 2025, marking the first time the battle-tested platform has been showcased outside Poland. The move highlights the company’s ambitions in the Indian defence market and signals the growing relevance of loitering munitions in modern warfare.
Originally developed as a cost-effective alternative to traditional guided missiles, the Warmate TL has emerged as a versatile, precision-strike solution. Designed for rapid deployment and high survivability in contested environments, the system integrates anti-personnel and anti-tank warheads, offering commanders the ability to tailor strikes to evolving battlefield conditions.
A Tactical Evolution in Precision Warfare
A key differentiator of the Warmate TL is its canister-based pneumatic launch system, which enables integration across land vehicles, naval vessels, and aerial platforms. Once deployed, the system’s folding wings extend mid-flight, allowing it to loiter above a target area with pinpoint accuracy before executing an attack.
Equipped with daylight and infrared cameras, the Warmate TL can perform real-time reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition, feeding live intelligence back to operators. The fully automated attack capability allows for engagement even in GPS-denied environments, reducing reliance on traditional targeting infrastructure.
Unlike conventional missiles, which rely on high-speed kinetic strikes, Warmate’s silent propulsion system minimises detectability, making it particularly effective in urban and counter-insurgency operations. The ability to loiter before executing a strike provides critical flexibility in dynamic combat environments, where targets may move or change rapidly.
India’s Growing Appetite for Loitering Munitions
The unveiling of Warmate TL at Aero India 2025 comes amid India’s broader push toward autonomous precision-strike capabilities. The Indian Army has already procured another variant of the system under Emergency Procurement measures, reflecting its battlefield efficacy and rapid operationalisation.
“The Warmate loitering munition has already demonstrated its effectiveness in real-world combat scenarios,” said Colonel Sandeep Malik (Retd), Vice President of WB Electronics India. “With its advanced targeting systems, low acoustic signature, and modular payload capability, it is well-suited for modern warfare, particularly in high-threat environments especially in the intense EMC environment.
India’s interest in loitering munitions has intensified in recent years, driven by lessons from global conflicts and the need for greater operational agility in both conventional and asymmetric warfare. Senior military officials highlight that integrating loitering munitions into India’s doctrine aligns with the military’s modernisation roadmap, emphasising stand-off engagement capabilities, enhanced situational awareness, and rapid target neutralisation.
WB Group’s Expanding Footprint in India
Beyond individual systems, WB Group’s participation in Aero India 2025 marks a broader strategic shift toward India. Through its joint venture, WB Electronics India Pvt Ltd, the company is investing in the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor (UPDIC), reinforcing its commitment to local production, technology transfer, and long-term engagement with India’s defence ecosystem.
“As India pursues a self-reliant defence sector under Aatmanirbhar Bharat, we see tremendous opportunities to collaborate with Indian defence forces and industry,” said Ashish Sharma, CEO of WB Electronics India. “WB Group’s solutions, including Warmate, are designed to meet the requirements of next-generation battlefield operations while ensuring interoperability with existing platforms.”
Loitering Munitions and the Future of Warfare
Globally, the use of loitering munitions has expanded, with conflicts such as the Israel-Hamas war, Middle East engagements, and the Caucasus conflicts emphasising their effectiveness in modern combat. Unlike traditional cruise missiles or armed drones, these munitions offer a lower-cost, with precision engagement, making them an attractive proposition for countries seeking force multipliers in limited-budget scenarios.
As India weighs its options for expanding its autonomous weapons portfolio, WB Group’s Warmate system presents a tested, scalable, and deployable solution. Its debut at Aero India 2025 not only cements WB Group’s presence in the Indian market but also highlights India’s broader embrace of AI-driven and autonomous combat technologies in shaping the future battlefield.
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