According to reports, shipments of contracted heavy military equipment have set sail for Poland, including the first M1A2SEPv3 Abrams tanks (System Enhanced Package version 3) from the United States, as well as additional K2 Heuk-Pyo (Black Panther) tanks in the GF (Gap Filler) version and 155-mm K9A1 Thunder self-propelled howitzers from South Korea.
M1A2SEPv3 Abrams / Illustrative photo: US Army via DVIDS
M1A2SEPv3 Abrams
On Thursday, October 31, 2024, the industry portal Army Recognition reported that Poland is set to receive its first M1A2SEPv3 Abrams tanks by the end of this year, representing a significant acceleration of the original delivery schedule, which had been planned for 2025. These new details were recently confirmed by the tank manufacturer, General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS). The tanks, being transported by sea, are expected to arrive in Poland within a few weeks, although GDLS has refrained from disclosing specific delivery dates and the number of vehicles shipped, citing security reasons.
Earlier, in September of this year, M1A2SEPv3 tanks from a batch of 75 units began arriving in Australia (as successors to the M1A1SA tanks being transferred to Ukraine), and deliveries of M1A2T tanks from a batch of 108 units to the Republic of China (Taiwan) were also scheduled to begin this year. Additionally, other countries have opted for purchases, including Morocco (162 units as M1A2M upgrades), Romania (54 units), and Bahrain (50 units).
Let us recall that on April 5, 2022, the Ministry of National Defense signed a 4.75 billion USD agreement with the United States government for the delivery of 250 M1A2SEPv3 Abrams tanks, along with accompanying equipment, including 26 M88A2 HERCULES recovery vehicles and 17 M1074 JAB (Joint Assault Bridge) assault bridges, as well as a training package, logistics support, and an ammunition reserve.
These will complement the 116 previously delivered used tanks in the M1A1FEP (Firepower Enhancement Package) version. The latest shipment arrived in Poland on June 26 of this year.
The initial funds for Poland’s M1A2SEPv3 tanks were released on May 13, 2022, covering the provision of technical support services for Abrams tanks for the U.S. Army, Poland, and Saudi Arabia. Subsequently, on August 25 of the same year, GDLS announced the signing of a primary production contract, valued at up to 1.148 billion USD (5.47 billion PLN at that time), with the U.S. Army under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program.
On October 31, 2023, the U.S. Army Contracting Command signed a contract valued at 82.645 million USD (340.73 million PLN) with Lockheed Martin to build an Advanced Gunnery Training System (AGTS) center for Abrams tanks in Wesoła.
On November 2, 2023, the Danish company Systematic Software Engineering announced that it would provide the SitaWare Frontline C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computer, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance) software package for all Polish M1A1FEP and M1A2SEPv3 tanks, as well as support vehicles. On December 27, the Polish Armament Agency ordered twelve Kroton-bis Command Vehicles from Rosomak, a company within the Polish Armaments Group, for units that will be rearmed with the M1A2SEPv3.
On November 16, 2023, the Armament Agency announced the start of negotiations with the U.S. regarding the purchase of 25 M1150 ABV (Assault Breacher Vehicle) mine- and explosive-clearing vehicles based on the Abrams chassis. Plans also include acquiring additional M88A2 HERCULES recovery vehicles and containerized vehicle and tank workshops.
Photo: Michał Szafran, MILMAG
More K2 i K9A1
On Friday, October 25, 2024, another shipment of seven K2 tanks and sixteen K9A1 howitzers destined for Poland was spotted at the port of Masan in Changwon, Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. This means that within a few weeks, Poland should have a total of 69 K2GF tanks and 124 K9A1 howitzers.
This will be the seventh delivery of Korean tanks—the previous one took place on October 3 of this year. The manufacturer, Hyundai Rotem, has stated that an additional 15 units, aside from those seen in the footage, will arrive in Poland by the end of 2024, with the remaining 96 tanks to follow in 2025. This will complete the contract from August 26, 2022, valued at 3.37 billion USD net (15.98 billion PLN net / 19.65 billion PLN gross) for a total of 180 tanks.
Meanwhile, on October 23 of this year, at least three tanks arrived at the Land Forces Training Center in Poznań. In November, a second executive contract is expected to be signed for an additional 180 tanks and 81 support vehicles, all within the framework agreement for a total of 1,000 K2GF/PL tanks.
For the K9A1 howitzers, the fifth delivery of the year is currently on its way, while the previous shipment arrived on October 7. These deliveries are being carried out under an executive contract dated August 26, 2022, valued at 2.4 billion USD net (11.38 billion PLN net / 13.99 billion PLN gross), signed with Hanwha Defense (now Hanwha Aerospace). According to this contract, a total of 212 K9A1 howitzers will be delivered between 2022 and 2026.
On December 1 of last year, the Armament Agency signed a second contract valued at 2.6 billion USD net (10.33 billion PLN net / 12.81 billion PLN gross) for the delivery of an additional 6 K9A1 howitzers in 2025 and 146 localized K9PL howitzers between 2026 and 2027. These executive contracts are the result of a framework agreement dated July 27, 2022, for a total of 672 K9A1 and K9PL howitzers (Hanwha Aerospace has provided details on its cooperation offer for AHS K9PL production).
https://twitter.com/KDefenseInsight/status/1852022500319789176