At MSPO, Poland’s WB Group rolls out new Stormrider USV, built on lessons from Ukraine
- office736978
- 3d
- 2 min read
MSPO 2025 — Poland’s WB Group rolled out its Stormrider unmanned surface vessel, which it describes as an “unmanned reconnaissance-attack vessel” developed from the lessons learned from the Ukraine war.
And while the USV is being formally unveiled at this week’s MSPO show, according to company representatives, prototypes of Stormrider are currently undergoing tests in the Baltic Sea, just nine months after the design was drawn up.
“The Stormrider’s hull design is based on solutions taken from the yachting industry — in Poland there are many of shipyards, specializing in the building of yachts and fast boats of various designs and purposes,” Bartłomiej Zając, CEO RADMOR, part of WB Group, and designer of the Stormrider, said in a briefing ahead of MSPO.
The Stormrider’s hull is approximately 8.5 meters (28 feet) long and 3 meters wide, with a displacement of over 3 tons, to enable the launching and recovery of the USV from the frigate or offshore patrol vessels from the Polish Navy or Border Guard. It is planned to withstand sea states 3-5, and is powered by a combustion engine and waterjet system.
The system is optionally manned, for situations such as training or testing purposes, or for the navigation in specific reservoirs where human presence on board is required by regulations.
The company says Stormrider is equipped with unique control, communication, and data links designed and produced by the WB Group. Its sensor suite includes a navigation radar, laser rangefinder and EO/IR camera mounted on a small mast, a sonic depth finder and sonar.
Additionally, the company says the USV can be equipped with sonobuoy launchers and armed with the ZMU-05N remotely controlled weapon station with a 12.7mm (12.7x99 mm , .50BMG) machine gun, or come with its own arsenal of loitering or X-FRONTER V/H individual reconnaissance-attack drones, stored in sealed tubes aboard the ship.
As to the live tests going on, Jarosław Budzisz, a retired Navy captain who is serving as a board advisor for WB Group, told Breaking Defense Tuesday that the system has “completed several test cruises, during which the platform, propulsion systems, gyroscopic stabilization systems, power source parameters, and navigation system were tested.”
Next, the vessel will be “verified up to sea state 3-5 while cruising and performing missions,” and radio links will be tested, Budzisz said. “The designers are striving for maximum USV automation, supported by artificial intelligence, while maintaining all operating principles within the framework of international maritime law.”
Mission-wise, WB Group is aiming Stormrider at a range of tasks that support the Navy and Border Guard, including target identification and recognition, strike impact assessment, information support, reconnaissance, operational support, precision strikes, critical infrastructure protection, and water-region surveillance.
The firm is also marketing it as a potential base protection/force protection asset, given its ability to deploy from shore or sea, as well as special operations, where the company says it can be used for reconnaissance, fire support for forces operating in contact with the enemy, medical evacuation (when adapted and equipped with the appropriate module), logistical support for the transport of equipment, supplies, and other resources to the combat zone and support for operations in specific sea areas (the Vistula Lagoon) or rivers.
Comments