At the DSEI 2025 (Defence & Security Equipment International) defense and security trade show, scheduled for September 9–12 this year at the ExCeL center in London, Jakub Link-Lenczowski, publisher of the MILMAG portal, conducted an interview with Jan Grabowski, Vice President of the Management Board of the Polish Armaments Group (PGZ).
Jan Grabowski, Vice President of the Management Board of the Polish Armaments Group / Photos: Jakub Link-Lenczowski, MILMAG
Jakub Link-Lenczowski (JLL): Mr. President, what would PGZ like to achieve here in London during the DSEI trade show?
Jan Grabowski (JG): The Polish Armaments Group is present at DSEI once again, although this year, for the first time, we are truly here as a close partner of the United Kingdom and its defense industry. PGZ is showcasing its products: small arms, items from Nitro-Chem, Fabryka Broni, and ZM Tarnów — everything we were able to present at our stand. We also wanted to bring our armored vehicle, but unfortunately the short time gap after Kielce made transporting such equipment impossible. Otherwise, we could have brought our Borsuk, and it would have put other stands to shame. But above all, this event is about cooperation with our strategic partners from the United Kingdom: Babcock, MBDA, Thales — these are our partners in the Miecznik program and in the Narew and Pilica+ air-defense and missile-defense programs. We work with them and are strengthening this cooperation. One must also remember the security agreement signed between the UK and Poland in 2017 and its likely update this autumn.
JLL: And can you tell us what the current progress looks like in negotiations, work, and activities related to key projects such as Miecznik or air defense?
JG: In the Miecznik program, PGZ Stocznia Wojenna, which is the technical lead, is already building the second frigate — the first one, Wicher, is already at an advanced stage of construction, with the launch planned for August next year (because space has to be freed in the Hull Assembly Hall in Gdynia for the second ship of the series, Burza, whose steel plates we cut earlier this year). We will lay the keel this December, so we are well advanced, and in terms of the schedule — we are meeting the deadlines. We are working closely with our British partners and with the contracting authority, the Armament Agency. Miecznik is based on the British Arrowhead 140 design, but of course in its Polish-adapted version. The ship’s air-defense system will come from MBDA — missiles of the CAMM family — and the launchers will be the American Mk 41 from Lockheed Martin. In addition, we are cooperating with Norway — here we have the NSM anti-ship missiles — but the entire combat management system on the vessel will come from Thales, with whom we have been cooperating closely for several decades. It is the combat management system already familiar to the Polish Navy, as it is installed on the vessel Ślązak.
JLL: During your stay in the United Kingdom, do we already know when we can expect the main armament of Miecznik — the CAMM-ER missiles?
JG: Discussions are ongoing between the industries. We had the pleasure of speaking here at DSEI during a roundtable of the Polish-British working group. The event was patroned and chaired by the Deputy Minister of State Assets, Mr. Konrad Gołota, who listened to the discussion and afterward set objectives for the industries — objectives that we should pursue. One of these objectives is, of course, the joint development of air-defense and missile-defense systems based on the CAMM missile family. We believe that this development will progress in accordance with the agreements signed bilaterally between the United Kingdom and Poland.
JLL: PGZ is increasingly focusing on exports. From the perspective of this trade show — what could be the key directions for the expansion of Polish weaponry on foreign markets? Which markets might these be?
JG: A major event like DSEI in London — the second largest in Europe — means that we are here not only for our British partners, and not only talking with them, but we are also meeting with our potential export customers. We had several delegations yesterday, and more are scheduled for today. Here we are mainly discussing topics related to Fabryka Broni and explosives. So yes, exports are extremely important — let’s remember, for example, that Nitro-Chem in Bydgoszcz produces mainly for export and is one of the largest manufacturers of TNT in the world — there is huge interest here. We are also discussing cooperation in artillery ammunition and maintenance-related topics for both land equipment and air force assets. So these discussions are ongoing. Export does not only mean products — it also means work for our foreign clients carried out in factories in Poland. International cooperation is something the Polish Armaments Group focuses on, and it is something we are known for in many parts of the world.
JLL: Thank you very much for the conversation.
PGZ booth on DSEI 2025
At the joint exhibition, 11 entities belonging to the Polish Armaments Group are presenting their products. Among them are, for example:
- a model of the Miecznik frigate showcased by PGZ Stocznia Wojenna,
- a wide range of explosives from Zakłady Chemiczne Nitro-Chem,
- the full family of MSBS Grot carbines and Vis pistols, as well as the latest MPS, from Fabryka Broni “Łucznik”-Radom,
- small- and medium-caliber ammunition, as well as the Piorun, Kusza, and Jack-S systems from Mesko,
- artillery and mortar ammunition from Zakłady Metalowe Dezamet,
- the Bystra radar station, the Poprad air-defense system, and the SA-35 cannon from PIT-Radwar,
- models of the Baobab, Borsuk, and Krab vehicles from Huta Stalowa Wola,
- explosives and drone warheads from Bydgoskie Zakłady Elektromechaniczne Belma,
- sniper rifles and the LMP-2017 mortar from Zakłady Mechaniczne Tarnów,
- optoelectronic devices, including night-vision systems, thermal imagers, and collimator sights from PCO,
- individual soldier protection equipment — including the HP-05 helmet, gas masks, and bullet-, stab-, and fragmentation-resistant vests from Przedsiębiorstwo Sprzętu Ochronnego Maskpol.