During MSPO 2026, the exhibition which is taking place in Kielce, Poland, Leonardo announced that its 30 mm X-Gun has been selected for the Polish SAN C-UAS programme, the Italian company having received a contract from Kongsberg of Norway, the latter being responsible for the turret
On September 8th, 2026, Leonardo announced the first export success for its newly developed 30×173 mm X-Gun. “During the ongoing MSPO exhibition, Leonardo announces the signing of a significant contract with Kongsberg for the supply of 30 mm X-GUN weapon systems. These will be integrated into an advanced multi-layer counter-UAS system for an undisclosed NATO customer, designed to counter hostile uncrewed aerial platforms,” the press release said.
Fully ITAR-Free, the X-Gun is an electrically driven weapon which is being proposed for land and naval applications, and will become the main weapon of the future Italian Army tracked infantry fighting vehicle. It can use all available 30×173 mm produced at NATO standard, however KNDS Ammo Italy is developing for Leonardo an airburst round dedicated to the C-UAS role.
At MSPO EDR On-Line has the opportunity to meet Jan Grabowski, the Vice-President of the
Management Board of PGZ (Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa), the Polish Armament Group. Talking about European cooperation, Mr. Grabowski mentioned Poland’s SAN (System Anti-Dronowy) programme, which will provide the Polish Army with a complete counter-UAS system. “The SAN programme is a very good example of how we at PGZ see the European cooperation. It is financed through the SAFE (Security Action for Europe) with 3 billion Euro; the turret is provided by Kongsberg of Norway, armed with Leonardo X-Gun from Italy, with a radar from Weibel of Denmark [1], and beside PGZ it also involves several privately-owned Polish Defence companies,” he said, confirming that the first export customer for the new Leonardo gun is Poland. Advanced Protection Systems (APS), a Polish private company, will provide the tailored command and control architecture that will tie sensors and effectors together. The system will also include other sensors and effectors, such as Skyperion passive radio frequency drone detection system provided by UK Metis, and Thales UK 70 mm guided rockets.
Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace announced in late January 2026 that it’s Medium Caliber Turret (MCT30) and remotely controlled weapon stations were selected for the SAN Polish C-UAS programme. The contract is worth 1.67 billion Euro and entails the delivery of 18 CUAS batteries, which effectors will include 35 mm, 30 mm, 12.7 mm guns, as well as missiles and interceptor drones.
Photo courtesy Leonardo
[1] Weibel Scientific announced in June 2026 that its XENTA-M 3D tactical short-range air defence radar
