With $6.7 billion in new tanks and vehicles, it’s ‘Armor Week’ in Poland

WARSAW — In what Poland’s defense minister has dubbed “Armor Week,” Warsaw has signed almost $6.7 billion in ground vehicle contracts, as the Eastern European nation continues its armaments spree.

Almost all of that money is tied up in $6.5 billion agreement with Hyundai Rotem Company (HRC) for a second deal on tanks and support vehicles, signed Friday morning at manufacturer Zakłady Mechaniczne Bumar-Łabędy’s Gliwice facility.

The agreement was inked in the presence of Polish and South Korea ministers of defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and Ahn Gyu-back, as well as the Secretary of State at Poland’s Ministry of National Defense Paweł Bejda. Hyundai Rotem Company President Lee Yong-Bae and Hyundai Rotem Europe President Seo Jun Mo were also in attendance. Notably, this is the first foreign visit from Ahn, the first civilian to lead the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Defense in 64 years, a visit that came at the request of Poland — another sign of the heavy defense ties between the two countries that have developed in just a few years.

The contract covers the delivery of 180 K2 tanks to be delivered between 2026 and 2030. Of those, 116 tanks in the current K2GF configuration will be delivered between 2026 and 2027, and the remaining 64, in the K2PL configuration, between 2028 and 2030. The K2PL tanks will be equipped with additional protection, including an Active Protection System, an anti-drone system, and additional armor, with other modifications based on lessons learned from the K2GF.

In addition to the tanks, the Polish Armed Forces will also receive a number of support vehicles based on the K2 chassis. Companies from the Polish Armaments Group, including OBRUM and ZM Bumar-Łabędy, will be involved in the design work. The agreement covers the acquisition of 31 armored recovery vehicles, 25 engineering vehicles, and 25 assault bridge system, with a delivery between 2029 and 2031.

The contract also includes training and logistics packages, as well as the delivery of a significant supply of ammunition (including 120mm tank ammunition and small-caliber ammunition). The logistics package includes spare parts, special tool kits, test equipment, maintenance tools, and technical documentation. The training package includes training ammunition, Embedded Training System on-board simulators, and training for instructors, crews, and technical personnel.

“I am truly honored to sign the second implementation contract for K2 tanks for Poland today, together with the defense ministers of both our countries. I believe this agreement will be a significant milestone in further strengthening defense cooperation between Korea and Poland,” Lee said.

“In Gliwice, we discussed strengthening our countries’ cooperation in the field of security and the defense contracts already being implemented. Matters related to defense industry cooperation, technology transfer, and arms production in Poland were important issues. We are continuing our efforts to develop defense capabilities,” Kosiniak-Kamysz added.

According to the contract, the final assembly of 61 K2PL tanks will be carried out at ZM Bumar-Łabędy, giving Poland a nice domestic industrial boost, something that has been a priority for Warsaw in its negotiations with South Korean defense firms.

Under the agreement, HRC will provide ZM Bumar-Łabędy with tools and production equipment to establish an assembly line for the K2PL tank and associated vehicles. Poland will also acquire full tank maintenance and operation capabilities, and there will be further discussion between HRC and polish firms on the production of  hull, turret and chassis, hydropneumatic suspensions, the main gun system and its auto-loader.

Hyundai Rotem views Poland as a strategic partner and a potential European hub for production and service of military equipment. Several other countries in the region, including Romania and Slovakia, have also expressed interest in purchasing K2 tanks.

Poland would certainly welcome taking on the hub role for Europe, and there is a proud history of tank production in Gwilce.

From 1951 to 1956, the plant produced the licensed Soviet T-34/85, T-54 and T-55A tanks as well as indigenous WZT-1 and WZT-2 ARVs and the BLG-67 assault bridge. In subsequent years, T-72 M1 PT-91 MBTs, WZT-3 and WZT-4 ARVs and the PMC-90 assault bridge were produced in Gliwice. In March 2010, ZM Bumar-Łabędy completed a contract for Malaysia for the PT-91M and PMC-91M MBTs, WZT-4 and MID-M ARVs. In 2012 it signed a contract for the supply of 204 WZT-3 ARVs for India.

However, it has largely become a maintenance, repair and operations spot in recent years. Since 2015, ZM Bumar-Łabędy has been the main contractor for the modernization of Leopard 2A4 tanks to the Leopard 2PL standard, and since 2019 it has been carrying out repairs and modifications of T-72M1 tanks to the T-72M1R standard.

“We are bringing armor production back to Gliwice, to Bumar-Łabędy. This has always been the capital of armored vehicles – and we are putting back on its feet what was previously turned upside down,” said Bejda.  “… This is our joint effort and our shared responsibility for Poland’s security, but also for Korea’s security. Not only military, but also economic.”

American Assault Vehicles

A much smaller contract was signed a day earlier in Warsaw, where Bejda took part in the signing of an annex for the supply of M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle engineer tanks.

A sideline to the January 2023 purchase of M1A1 Abrams tanks, Thursday’s agreement covers the delivery of 25 M1150 ABVs, along with logistics and training packages and spare parts. The value of the amendment is approximately $115 million, with deliveries completed in 2029.

“This equipment is intended to be delivered to the 18th Mechanized Division (nicknamed The Iron Division)  in Siedlce,” said Bejda during the signing of a contract.

The M1150 ABV is a US military mine- and explosives-clearing vehicle, based on the M1 Abrams chassis, equipped with a mine plow and line charges. Its first large-scale use by the Marines happened in Afghanistan in 2010. According to Forbes the United States quietly donated to Ukraine several of its ABVs, and two of them were visually confirmed lost in combat. Apart from Poland, other M1150 future operators are Australia (29 ordered), Bahrain (eight) and Romania (four).