The tender, pertaining to the currently realized procurement of the 60 mm Antos mortar, has been carried out as a single source procurement procedure, since the Czech based Excalibur Army company is the sole manufacturer of the acquired weapons system, as it was noted in the announcement published via the Official Journal of the European Union. The Czech company, in the document confirming its exclusive right to sell the aforementioned equipment, indicated the Polish Works11 company as the sole dealer of the 60 mm Antos mortars, within the territory of Poland.
Deliveries of this armament will complement the inventory used by the Polish Special Forces and airborne units with a universal support weapon. The special forces operate in specific circumstances and conditions, within a variety of locations, thus, after a series of tests has been conducted, decision was made to select the 60 mm Antos mortar which meets the requirements defined by the commandos.
According to the justification, the specification of the mortar makes it possible to use it within a variety of special operations, across different environments and in a wide temperature range. Moreover, the equipment will be unified with the military inventory that has been using so far. Finally, procurement of the Czech armament will also make it easier for the Special Forces and airborne units to cooperate.
The announcement related to the selection of the supplier does not include any information about the expected quantity of the acquired equipment. The procurement is being realized by the NIL unit (JW 4724), acting as a decentralized executor of the subject plan, however, within the programme defined to last from 2016 until 2022; it is assumed that mortars for both the special forces, as well as for the airborne units, are going to be acquired. At the moment ANTOS mortars are being used by the Polish GROM special forces element.
60 mm ANTOS mortar has been designed with airborne and special forces units in mind. HEI airburst munition may also be utilized in case of the newly acquired weapon. According to the supplier, the system to be procured has a low weight, high rate of fire, and readiness to open fire is achieved quickly. ANTOS, mortar features a structure made out of aluminium, titanium and plastics.