P-18PL

The P-18PL is a Polish mobile three-dimensional VHF early-warning and preliminary target-indication radar developed by PIT-RADWAR and the Military University of Technology. It uses an active electronically scanned array (AESA), electronic steering of the transmitted beam and digital formation of receive beams. Despite its designation and the metre-wave operating band it shares with the Soviet-designed P-18 radar, the P-18PL is a new Polish design rather than a modernisation of the P-18. According to its developers, the radar is designed to detect and track conventional aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, hovering helicopters, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, hypersonic targets and aircraft incorporating stealth technology. Its main function is to provide early warning and initial target data to command systems and more accurate fire-control radars. The lower resolution characteristic of VHF radars means that the P-18PL is not intended to provide direct missile-guidance data. In December 2023, the Polish Armament Agency ordered 24 P-18PL systems for more than 3.1 billion złoty, with deliveries scheduled for 2027–2035. As of July 2026, containers for the WW-18 indicator vehicles were in production at the PIT-RADWAR facility in Ostrów Mazowiecka.