Autonomous Drone Interceptor Debuts Advanced Flight Safety & Warhead Module

Latvian defence technology company ORIGIN and Poland’s Military Institute of Armament Technology (WITU) have introduced BLAZE, an autonomous counter-drone interceptor equipped with a newly designed STANAG-compliant directional fragmentation warhead module.

Engineered specifically for the BLAZE platform rather than adapted from existing munitions, the compact high-explosive module weighs 700 grams and carries a NATO stock number, making BLAZE the first NATO-codified interceptor drone available with a STANAG-compliant warhead. The payload directs a concentrated pattern of high-velocity steel fragments toward aerial targets to deliver effective interception while maintaining a lightweight, agile airframe.

Central to the architecture is the Electronic Safe and Arm Device (ESAD), designed and built by WITU to govern activation. The explosive charge, directional fragmentation package, electronically controlled fuze, and mechanical safety mechanisms are combined within a single precision-engineered module. The warhead remains safely disarmed until defined flight conditions are met, can be armed and disarmed repeatedly in flight, and automatically returns to a safe state if an engagement is cancelled, allowing the interceptor to return and land before initiating at a precisely controlled moment during terminal intercept.

Col. Piotr Rulińki, Head of the Center for Ballistics and Unmanned Systems at the Military Institute of Armament Technology (WITU), said, “The ESAD we built for ORIGIN’s BLAZE meets the same safety and standardisation requirements we apply across our work for the Polish armed forces. We designed it from the ground up for counter-drone engagements, with the safety and control features that mission demands. Partnering with ORIGIN lets our expertise support allied NATO forces, which is a good example of how Polish and Baltic industry can build on each other’s strengths.”

To support growing procurement demands from NATO countries, ORIGIN has partnered with several electronics manufacturers across Europe to scale production while enabling end users to incorporate their own regional supply chains. The platform is being showcased at WITU’s exhibition stand at the MSPO event in Kielce, Poland.