> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.adriadefense.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # ORIGIN Unveils Polish-Armed BLAZE Interceptor at MSPO - URL: https://www.adriadefense.com/origin-unveils-polish-armed-blaze-interceptor-at-mspo/ - Published: 2026-09-08T15:39:17.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-08T15:39:17.000Z - Description: Latvia’s ORIGIN and Poland’s WITU unveiled a new BLAZE interceptor configuration with a 700-gram directional fragmentation warhead at MSPO 2026. - Author: AdriaDefense Desk - Tags: Latvia, Poland, CEE, Industry, Origin, MSPO 2026, counter-UAS Latvian defense technology company ORIGIN and Poland’s Military Institute of Armament Technology, known by its Polish acronym WITU, unveiled the latest BLAZE autonomous counter-drone interceptor configuration at MSPO 2026 in Kielce on September 8\. The configuration integrates a 700-gram directional fragmentation warhead developed by WITU specifically for the Latvian interceptor. The Polish-Latvian project connects a counter-UAS system already selected by multiple NATO countries with a Polish-developed warhead and safety architecture. ORIGIN is presenting the configuration as it expands BLAZE production and manufacturing partnerships across Europe. ## WITU developed a 700-gram warhead specifically for BLAZE WITU designed the new high-explosive directional fragmentation warhead specifically for BLAZE rather than adapting an existing munition. The 700-gram module uses a directional pattern of steel fragments for engaging unmanned aerial targets. WITU integrated the explosive charge, fragmentation package, electronically controlled fuze and mechanical safety mechanisms into the module. The Polish institute also developed an Electronic Safe and Arm Device, or ESAD, governing when the warhead can become armed. According to information released for MSPO, the system remains disarmed until predefined flight conditions have been met. The warhead can also return to a safe state if an engagement is cancelled, allowing the BLAZE interceptor to abort the engagement and return. That feature has previously been demonstrated separately. During a BLAZE demonstration in Latvia attended by Janes in November 2025, the interceptor conducted four near-miss engagements in which the intercept was aborted approximately 20 meters from the target before the aircraft returned to its launch area. ## BLAZE combines radar cueing with autonomous interception BLAZE is an autonomous counter-UAS interceptor developed and manufactured by ORIGIN in Latvia. The system combines external radar detection with onboard computer vision for target acquisition and interception. The architecture is designed to allow BLAZE to receive initial target information from the wider counter-UAS sensor network before conducting the interception. ORIGIN has also demonstrated BLAZE alongside Estonia’s DefSecIntel Solutions EIRSHIELD counter-UAS system. During the November 2025 demonstration, radar data provided target information to BLAZE as the interceptor maneuvered toward the target without relying on Global Navigation Satellite System services. The new WITU warhead carries a NATO Stock Number. ORIGIN describes BLAZE as the first NATO-codified autonomous interceptor drone available with a STANAG-compliant warhead module. The NATO codification and standardized warhead architecture are particularly relevant as ORIGIN pursues additional European customers and local manufacturing arrangements. ## BLAZE has moved from Latvian development to NATO procurement BLAZE has already progressed beyond demonstration programs. Latvia, Estonia and Belgium began receiving their first batches of BLAZE interceptors in January 2026\. Belgium had announced a €50 million counter-UAS procurement in November 2025, while Latvia became the first country to announce an order the previous October. Mass production began in December 2025, according to information ORIGIN provided to Janes. Sweden subsequently began receiving BLAZE interceptors, according to a company representative cited by Janes during BEDEX 2026 in March. France became another customer in June after a multi-supplier evaluation conducted by the French Defence Procurement Agency, Direction générale de l'armement. French defense technology company DSV is working with ORIGIN to establish local BLAZE assembly and manufacturing capacity in France. The French selection is particularly relevant to ORIGIN’s industrial strategy. Instead of limiting production to Latvia, the company is pursuing manufacturing partnerships that allow customer countries to participate in the supply chain. ORIGIN has also signed an agreement with Germany’s Alpine Eagle to integrate BLAZE with the Sentinel counter-drone architecture. The companies have identified local manufacturing and future deployments in Germany as objectives of that cooperation. ## Polish warhead adds another layer to ORIGIN’s European supply chain The WITU partnership follows the same broader industrial model. ORIGIN supplies the interceptor architecture while a Polish military research institute contributes a purpose-designed warhead and its safety system. The arrangement gives WITU a role in a system already entering NATO inventories while providing ORIGIN with Polish-developed components compatible with its wider European expansion. This is significant for Poland because counter-UAS procurement is increasingly becoming an industrial issue as well as an operational requirement. European armed forces need larger quantities of relatively low-cost effectors, while governments increasingly seek domestic participation in production, maintenance and supply chains. ORIGIN said at MSPO that it is working with several electronics manufacturers operating across Europe to expand BLAZE production. The modular architecture is intended to allow customers to assume a larger role in their national supply chains where procurement requirements favor local participation. For the Baltic defense industry, the WITU agreement also represents a reversal of the traditional industrial relationship between smaller eastern NATO members and Europe’s larger defense markets. A Latvian-developed weapon system is entering several NATO inventories while incorporating technology from a Polish defense research institution and supporting local production models in larger European markets. The next measure of BLAZE’s expansion will be whether additional NATO customers move from evaluation to procurement and whether ORIGIN’s distributed manufacturing model develops into a broader European interceptor supply chain. --- ## Questions about ORIGIN BLAZE ### What is the ORIGIN BLAZE interceptor? BLAZE is a Latvian-developed autonomous counter-drone interceptor produced by ORIGIN. It combines external radar cueing with onboard computer vision to acquire and intercept unmanned aerial targets. ### What did ORIGIN and WITU unveil at MSPO 2026? ORIGIN and Poland’s Military Institute of Armament Technology presented BLAZE with the latest version of a 700-gram directional fragmentation warhead developed specifically for the interceptor. WITU also developed the Electronic Safe and Arm Device used by the warhead. ### Which countries have selected BLAZE? BLAZE has been procured or selected by multiple European NATO countries. Latvia, Estonia and Belgium began receiving systems in January 2026, Sweden subsequently began receiving interceptors, and France selected BLAZE following a competitive evaluation. ### Is BLAZE produced only in Latvia? The system is developed and manufactured in Latvia, but ORIGIN is expanding its European manufacturing network. France plans local assembly and manufacturing through DSV, while ORIGIN has also pursued manufacturing cooperation with other European partners.