Poland has signed an agreement to purchase 1,400 domestically produced infantry fighting vehicles in what the government says may be the Polish arms industry’s largest project in 50 years.
The estimated value of the orders will reach several dozen billion zlotys, with the first deliveries planned in 2024-2025, reports news service Defence24.
The vehicles are known in Polish as Borsuks (meaning “badgers”) and are being developed by a consortium led by defence contractor Huta Stalowa Wola.
“I hope that the Polish Army will quickly be equipped with these vehicles,” said defence minister Mariusz Błaszczak, who approved the framework agreement today.
“The approval of our contract for the procurement of 1,400 Borsuk infantry fighting vehicles has been described by one internal portal as the largest Polish armaments project in 50 years,” he added.
“We are opting for modern weapons, compatible with the equipment of allied troops,” said Błaszczak, adding that the heavier version of the Borsuk will become the basic equipment for the 18th Mechanised Division and will therefore work with Abrams tanks, over 350 of which Poland is buying from the US.
“Our goal is to deter the aggressor. That is why the military is larger and better equipped,” said the minister. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Poland has raised defence spending to one of the highest levels in NATO and embarked on a procurement spree, mainly from the US and South Korea.
Poland plans to increase defence spending to 4% of GDP this year, which on current figures would be the highest level in NATO.
"This will be clear evidence for all countries [that] we will defend our land," says the prime minister https://t.co/8vS0qANiYS
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) January 31, 2023
Borsuks are designed to transport six soldiers along with a crew of three. They can reach a maximum speed of 65 km/h on roads and can also navigate on the water at a maximum speed of up to 8 km/h. In its basic variant, the Borsuk weighs 28 tonnes.
Borsuks are characterised by high mobility and ability to overcome terrain obstacles, said the defence ministry, adding that the vehicles will also perform effectively alongside Korean K2 tanks, up to 1,000 of which Poland is acquiring.
In addition to the Borsuks, the new contract also concerns the supply of other specialist vehicles based on a universal modular tracked platform.
Poland has received the first tanks and howitzers as part of the $12.3 billion of arms contracts it has signed with South Korea
"We want peace so we are preparing for war," said the defence minister, who welcomed the new equipment alongside President Duda https://t.co/580kC2creo
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) December 6, 2022
As well as tanks, Poland is also buying 212 K9 self-propelled howitzers, 48 FA-50 light combat aircraft and 288 K239 Chunmoo rocket artillery launchers from South Korea, plus Patriot air defence systems and F-35 combat aircraft from the US, among other acquisitions.
Earlier this month, the US agreed to sell Poland 18 HIMARS rocket launchers and almost 500 launcher loader module kits along with ammunition.
But Warsaw has also sought to boost its domestic arms industry, exporting Polish-made Krab howitzers and Piorun man-portable air defence missiles both in form of donations to Ukraine and in sales to Ukraine, Estonia and Norway.
Poland has announced a deal to sell Krab self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine for almost 3 billion zloty (€650 million) in a record arms export deal for the country https://t.co/FVaFkn9oAk
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) June 10, 2022
Main photo credit: 16 Dywizja Zmechanizowana
Alicja Ptak is senior editor at Notes from Poland and a multimedia journalist. She previously worked for Reuters.
