This year’s Kielce-based MSPO 2009 (31 August–3 September) maintains its position as the Central Europe’s greatest and most prestigious showcase of Poland’s and world defence industry. And this is during the economic crisis, defence spending cuts and reduced upgrade programmes.

The Kielce exhibition centre will host 288 companies, including 98 foreign ones from 25 countries (in the record-breaking 2008 the numbers were 394/128/22, respectively), that will present their products, technologies and integration capabilities. The exhibition will cover a total of 19,240 square meters (in 2008 it was 22,184 sq m).

Renewed image

Like every year, the Kielce Fair Centre will welcome the exhibitors and visitors with new facilities and a new image. Numbering of the exhibition halls has been changed. The previous hall A has now become F. MSPO 2009 will therefore be held in four halls: A, C, F and G. In 2010 the exhibition will also include the new hall E that is being erected in the area between today’s halls C and D and the F and G. This will offer another 6000 sq. m of air-conditioned indoors display space.

Due to the expansion of the fair area and the reorganisation, another record number of visitors is expected in 2009, some 12-13 thousand people.

Global corporations from leading positions in the ‘world’s biggest’ listings will exhibit at Kielce in 2009: BAE Systems, Boeing, MBDA, Raytheon, and Thales.

A lot of new products are prepared by the Polish arms concern Grupa Bumar. The exhibition of its latest programmes will occupy the entire hall C. Bumar’s most promising technologies will be shown, including the equipment and armament for a future Polish soldier. According to Monika Koniecko, the group’s spokesman, the air defence and anti-missile systems’ system, known informally as ‘Poland’s Shield’, will be the main hit.

Polish and foreign hits

Poland’s Grupa Bumar, PIT (Przemysłowy Instytut Telekomunikacji) and CNPEP Radwar, and the European multinational missile corporation MBDA all participating in the project have decided to jointly create a new anti-aircraft and anti-missile defence systems’ system, thinking about upgrading Poland’s combat potential and also about other country markets. They want to build a system of systems capable of engaging air intruders at a very short distance (up to 5 km, at altitudes of up to 10,000 feet), at a slightly longer one (up to 20 km and 30,000 feet) and at medium to long distance (up to 100 km and 65,000 feet). The architecture of the new undertaking is to be based on a combining Polish radar stations and air defence command and management networks from PIT and Radwar with advanced rocket missiles from MBDA: the VL MICA and Aster 30, and with the existing Polish Poprad and Loara systems. During MSPO 2009 experts and decision makers will be able to see for the first time the architecture of ‘Poland’s Shield’, a simulation of its operation, and the European missiles that should constitute its combat core.

The matter is further spiced up by the fact that the VL MICA missiles will be displayed at Kielce for the first time since their successful test on 8 July 2009 in a simulated repelling of an attack by seaborne cruise missiles at Biscarosse range in France. Witnessed by Polish officers.

Another hit of the MSPO 2009 is going to be the first display of the first fully operational Trophy fighting vehicle active protection system from the Israeli Rafael whose Spike ATMs build under licence in Poland are supplied by Grupa Bumar to the Polish MoD. At the end of July 2009 a Merkava IV tank from an operational tank unit fitted with a production Trophy set has undergone testing at Negev desert in Israel. The vehicle has successfully engaged RPG grenade-launchers and ATMs. This was a new step in the new direction of development of the armoured weapons. Its effects can bee seen during the Kielce event.

MSPO 2009 will also host the National Exhibition of the Visegrad Group (V4). This means that in practice the Polish MoD stand will be accompanied by MoD stands of Hungary and Slovakia (the Czech Republic has dropped its own exhibition due to the 2009 crisis). Numerous Hungarian and Czech defence industry companies will also be present. Visits of Ministers or Vice-Ministers of Defence of the Visegrad countries and their summit during MSPO 2009 are also expected.

Professional soldiers – professional equipment

The programme of MSPO 2009 will, needless to say, include its constant component: an exhibition of the Polish Armed Forces, usually designed and arranged by the Ground Forces. In 2009 the Polish Forces’ exhibition is organised under the heading of Professional soldiers – professional equipment. It is prepared by the Armed Forces Support Inspectorate with cooperation form the Ground Force HQ. Visitors at the Kielce fair will be able to see the latest armament and military equipment, including Rosomak wheeled APCs, engineering equipment, artillery and missile anti-aircraft systems, reconnaissance systems and logistics equipment. The Ground Forces will display the Rosomaks in various equipment fits, the Langusta missile launcher, the Bożena mine clearance machine, Loara anti-aircraft artillery system from the Warsaw-based Radwar and Przebiśnieg reconnaissance-jamming system from WZE (Wojskowe Zakłady Elektroniczne) at Zielonka near Warsaw. Logistics specialists will present accommodation under pneumatic tents, an armament overhaul workshop, prototype container field bath, a field water storage module and the STAR 944 lorry in armoured variant.

The exhibition will also include stands of development-implementation centres that operate within the Armed Forces Support Inspectorate structures. Specialists from the Military Development-Implementation Centre of Uniform Service will present directions of changes in uniforms and equipment of Polish soldiers. The Military Development-Implementation Centre of Catering Service will present methods of examination and certification of food products and catering equipment made for the Polish Armed Forces.

After several years’ break visitors will be able to see a display of soldiers in action next to the static display. On the first day of the fair logistics soldiers will present a dynamic display of their skill, demonstrating various ways of recovering damaged equipment from the battlefield. Loading a damaged PT-91 tank onto a low-chassis trailer, recovering a damaged BWP IFV with the WZT-3 recovery vehicle, and loading a Skorpion patrol vehicle onto a self-loading platform will be shown. The dynamic display will be performed in mock operational conditions, using battlefield simulation effects.