Poland To Procure 250 M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams Tanks

Poland’s Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak has confirmed the Polish Army will be equipped with 250 M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams tanks.

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Press Release, Warsaw, 14 July 2021: [auto-translated] The Polish Army will be equipped with ABRAMS tanks from next year, so we are strengthening the defence capabilities of the Republic of Poland very quickly.

“This is, of course, a response to the challenges we face when it comes to international security, and our task is to deter any potential aggressor. We all know where this aggressor lies, we all know what threats are potentially possible,” emphasised Minister Mariusz Błaszczak during the meeting with soldiers in Wesoła.

“Our army in a short time – the first deliveries, if everything goes well, next year – will be enriched with a large number of the most modern Abrams tanks,” said Jarosław Kaczyński, deputy prime minister, chairman of the Committee for National Security and Defence Affairs.

“These are super modern tanks, tanks that are able to perform various types of manoeuvres, as well as conduct combat, including fire with great precision and great efficiency. This is a new quality when it comes to arming land forces. There will be enough of these tanks to create at least four tank battalions, which is more than what is needed to establish a tank brigade,” emphasised Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński. Poland will acquire 250 tanks of the 3rd generation ABRAMS M1A2 SEPv3. It is the most technologically advanced version of the ABRAMS tank, which entered equipment in 2019-2020.

“At the moment (…) a project of activities is being prepared, including statutory ones, concerning the expansion and a very, very serious strengthening of the Polish armed forces,” stressed the Deputy Prime Minister. “It’s just the times we live in, the situation we live in, the place we live in requires it, and that’s why we want to do it. This is our duty, it is a great undertaking, I must admit that it is an expensive undertaking,” he added.

Mariusz Błaszczak, the Minister of National Defence, who participated in the meeting, thanked Deputy Prime Minister Kaczyński for his support in activities aimed at strengthening the Polish Armed Forces.

“This entire investment in security would not have been possible had it not been for the presence of Prime Minister Kaczyński in the government. Were it not for the fact that, as chairman of the Committee for National Security and Defence Affairs, he contributed significantly to the creation of conditions for strengthening the defense capabilities of the Polish Army, for the development of the Polish Army,” said the head of the Ministry of National Defence.

“We are dealing with a pilot project, as the resolution of the Council of Ministers on the establishment of a multi-annual programme of financing the Polish defence capabilities has been adopted. The programme, which is intended to equip the Polish Army with tanks, precisely Abrams tanks. The Prime Minister spoke about this fundamental undertaking, which we will probably talk about many times. So we order the most modern tanks. Tanks in the best-equipped version, battle-tested tanks, tanks designed as a counterweight to the most modern Russian T14 Armata tanks,” said the head of the Ministry of National Defence.

ABRAMS M1A2 SEPv3 III generation tanks will have, among others a system that allows for cooperation with HIMARS launchers and F-35 aircraft. Tanks will also have the ability to use programmable ammunition. The acquired III generation ABRAMS M1A2 SEPv3 tanks will be sent to the 18th Mechanised Division, which is a very important element in our country’s defence system. Modern tanks will strengthen eastern Poland.

“I would like to emphasise that these tanks will be deployed in the east of our country, in the 18th Mechanised Division, the youngest, established in 2018, and this year certified, with full combat capability. The tanks will be in the equipment of the 1st Warsaw Armoured Brigade and in the forming of the 19th Mechanised Brigade based in Lublin, so there will be no need to dislocate in an emergency. These tanks will be on the first line of defence, if of course there is such a need,” emphasised the head of the Ministry of National Defence

Along with the 3rd generation ABRAMS M1A2 SEPv3 tanks, Poland will also receive a logistics and training package. Simulators will also be purchased. The conditions for securing the operation of ABRAMS tanks will be created in military repair plants. The head of the Ministry of National Defence emphasised that the financing of the ABRAMS tank purchase programme will be implemented outside the budget of the Ministry of National Defence under a resolution of the Council of Ministers and will not affect other modernisation programmes for the Polish Army.