Defence & Space

Rheinmetall receives major international orders for 155mm artillery ammunition

Rheinmetall Denel Munition has received two new orders for 155 mm ERFB artillery ammunition. International customer orders projectiles, propellants and…

2025-06-03 | Redakcja | 3 minutes

Poland: Tenders for Additional Engineering Equipment under the East Shield Initiative

The 2nd Regional Logistics Base has announced four tenders related to the acquisition of engineering and construction equipment for the Polish…

2025-06-02 | Rafał Muczyński | 4 minutes

Karkonosze Program: A Game-Changer for the Polish Air Force’s Tankers?

The Polish Air Force has been requesting the acquisition of aerial refueling tankers for years. The program to procure a multi-role transport…

2025-05-23 | Sławek Zagórski | 5 minutes

Swedish A26 Submarine and Poland’s Orka Program

In early April, Saab organized a visit for representatives of the Polish defense media to the Saab Kockums shipyard, located in Karlskrona…

2025-05-08 | Przemysław Gurgurewicz | 16 minutes

Rheinmetall receives major international orders for 155mm artillery ammunition

Rheinmetall Denel Munition has received two new orders for 155 mm ERFB artillery ammunition. International customer orders projectiles, propellants and…

2025-06-03 | Redakcja | 3 minutes

Rheinmetall Resonant South Africa (Pty) Ltd. established

New subsidiary Rheinmetall Resonant South Africa (Pty) Ltd. complements Rheinmetall’s plant engineering expertise in planning, setting-up and operating of production…

2025-06-02 | Redakcja | 2 minutes

Advancing multi-domain EW operations: Rohde & Schwarz unveils latest innovations at AOC Europe

Rohde & Schwarz demonstrates the next generation of SIGINT/EW systems, sensor fusion and signal analysis solutions, designed to meet the evolving…

2025-05-12 | Redakcja | 2 minutes

Iberian Blackout: Is Poland Prepared for a Similar Scenario?

The blackout on the Iberian Peninsula has prompted a few cautious questions about whether Poland is secure in the event of…

2025-05-02 | Krzysztof Zagórski | 6 minutes

IDET & PYROS 2025: KALAN Tracked Amphibious Vehicle as the Successor to the PTS

During the International Fire Fighting Equipment and Services Fair PYROS (held alongside IDET 2025 in Brno), the Czech company New…

2025-05-30 | Rafał Muczyński | 3 minutes

IDET 2025: Patria AMV XP 8×8 with TURRA 30 Turret

At the International Defence and Security Technologies Fair IDET 2025 in the Czech Republic, Finnish company Patria Oyj showcased its…

2025-05-29 | Rafał Muczyński | 4 minutes

Rheinmetall receives major international orders for 155mm artillery ammunition

Rheinmetall Denel Munition has received two new orders for 155 mm ERFB artillery ammunition. International customer orders projectiles, propellants and…

2025-06-03 | Redakcja | 3 minutes

Rheinmetall Resonant South Africa (Pty) Ltd. established

New subsidiary Rheinmetall Resonant South Africa (Pty) Ltd. complements Rheinmetall’s plant engineering expertise in planning, setting-up and operating of production…

2025-06-02 | Redakcja | 2 minutes

IDET & PYROS 2025: KALAN Tracked Amphibious Vehicle as the Successor to the PTS

During the International Fire Fighting Equipment and Services Fair PYROS (held alongside IDET 2025 in Brno), the Czech company New…

2025-05-30 | Rafał Muczyński | 3 minutes

Leonardo and Weststar Join Forces to Supply Helicopters to Malaysia

During the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, Italian company Leonardo and Malaysian firm Weststar…

2025-05-20 | Redakcja | 4 minutes

Rheinmetall receives major international orders for 155mm artillery ammunition

Rheinmetall Denel Munition has received two new orders for 155 mm ERFB artillery ammunition. International customer orders projectiles, propellants and…

2025-06-03 | Redakcja | 3 minutes

Poland: Tenders for Additional Engineering Equipment under the East Shield Initiative

The 2nd Regional Logistics Base has announced four tenders related to the acquisition of engineering and construction equipment for the Polish…

2025-06-02 | Rafał Muczyński | 4 minutes

Polish Minister of Defence Travels to the U.S. for Meeting with Pete Hegseth

A press conference was held at the 1st Airlift Base with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz…

2025-05-26 | Redakcja | 5 minutes

Another Meeting at the Polish Ministry of National Defence with a Delegation from South Korea’s DAPA

Polish Deputy Minister of National Defence Paweł Bejda met with Deputy Minister of South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA),…

2025-05-14 | Redakcja | 1 minutes

Airbus, CNES and VAST reaffirm commitment to strengthening EO capabilities in Vietnam

Airbus Defence and Space, the French Space Agency, and the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology have signed a Declaration of…

2025-05-26 | Redakcja | 2 minutes

ICEYE and IHI start cooperation to develop SAR satellite constellation in Japan

The Polish-Finnish company ICEYE and the Japanese IHI Corporation are beginning cooperation in the construction of a constellation of up to 24…

2025-05-22 | Redakcja | 3 minutes
Shooting

MSBS GROT BULLPUP conversion now available

Fabryka Broni “Łucznik” Radom is introducing long-awaited conversion kits for the MSBS GROT S16 FB-M1 and S10 FB-M1 semi-automatic rifles,…

2025-06-02 | Michał Ihnatów | 3 minutes

IDET 2025: Grand Power Showcases M4M1 Carbines for the Slovak Armed Forces

At the International Defence and Security Technologies Fair IDET 2023 in the Czech Republic, Grand Power — a Slovak firearms manufacturer — showcased…

2025-05-28 | Michał Ihnatów | 4 minutes

MSBS GROT BULLPUP conversion now available

Fabryka Broni “Łucznik” Radom is introducing long-awaited conversion kits for the MSBS GROT S16 FB-M1 and S10 FB-M1 semi-automatic rifles,…

2025-06-02 | Michał Ihnatów | 3 minutes

Streamlight introduces the TLR-8 HL-X and TLR-8 HL-X sub

Streamlight introduces the TLR-8 HL-X flashlight with an integrated laser sight, producing a beam with up to 1,000 lumens of power, offering…

2025-03-18 | Michał Ihnatów | 3 minutes

Protective Rescuer Vest – BC Arms Archangel

The Archangel Rescuer Vest is the result of a collaboration between Polish companies Currahee and BC Arms. It was created in…

2025-05-16 | Mariusz Rams | 6 minutes

Direct Action Spitfire Plate Carrier – Part 1: Testing the Carrier

Nowadays, the market offers a wide range of options in the gear and load-bearing equipment category. One of the most basic…

2025-05-08 | Michał Gaweł | 14 minutes

Enforce Tac 2025 starts on February 24th

Enforce Tac is an international trade fair aimed at law enforcement officers, experts from government agencies, and representatives of the…

2025-01-30 | Michał Ihnatów | 4 minutes

POLSECURE: Holsters HPE Poland offer for uniformed services

At the 3rd International Police and Public Security Fair POLSECURE 2024 in Kielce, Holsters HPE Poland presented its offer for…

2024-05-01 | Redakcja | 2 minutes

MSBS GROT BULLPUP conversion now available

Fabryka Broni “Łucznik” Radom is introducing long-awaited conversion kits for the MSBS GROT S16 FB-M1 and S10 FB-M1 semi-automatic rifles,…

2025-06-02 | Michał Ihnatów | 3 minutes

IDET 2025: Grand Power Showcases M4M1 Carbines for the Slovak Armed Forces

At the International Defence and Security Technologies Fair IDET 2023 in the Czech Republic, Grand Power — a Slovak firearms manufacturer — showcased…

2025-05-28 | Michał Ihnatów | 4 minutes

Setting Up a Shooting Belt: An Example with Clawgear

To assist with shooting training and beyond, various belts and gear configurations have been developed and customized to suit individual needs. It’s…

2024-11-28 | Łukasz Kołodziejski | 14 minutes

Weapon light: a practical tool for everyday service. How to choose?

In the world of armed forces, where every second can determine the outcome of an operation, precision and effectiveness are…

2024-08-29 | Redakcja | 7 minutes

Over 100% increase in gun permits in Poland in 2024

The Polish Police have released statistical data on firearm permits issued in 2024. An increasing number of Poles now hold…

2025-02-20 | Michał Ihnatów | 5 minutes

Firearms In Poland 2023: Number of permits continues to grow

The National Police Headquarters has released statistics regarding the number of firearm permits and firearms themselves in the hands of…

2024-02-17 | Michał Ihnatów | 5 minutes

5 Best Value ATN Rifle Scopes Under €1500

ATN is a leading manufacturer of daytime optics, smart night vision, and thermal vision technology. The innovative features and ergonomic designs…

2022-11-11 | Redakcja | 8 minutes

MILMAG Visits Grand Power

Grand Power is a Slovak manufacturer of the acknowledged good quality firearms. Take part in our guided tour with English subtitles.

2022-05-23 | Redakcja | 1 minutes

Protective Rescuer Vest – BC Arms Archangel

The Archangel Rescuer Vest is the result of a collaboration between Polish companies Currahee and BC Arms. It was created in…

2025-05-16 | Mariusz Rams | 6 minutes

Direct Action Spitfire Plate Carrier – Part 1: Testing the Carrier

Nowadays, the market offers a wide range of options in the gear and load-bearing equipment category. One of the most basic…

2025-05-08 | Michał Gaweł | 14 minutes

EOTECH Holographic Sight – History, Technology, Practice

The holographic sight is a device known for nearly 30 years and used by professionals around the world. A favorite sight of many…

2024-09-02 | Michał Gaweł | 12 minutes

First series-produced Polish Borsuk IFVs contracted

The Armaments Agency – representing the Polish State Treasury – has signed the first contract with a consortium consisting of the Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) and Huta Stalowa Wola (HSW) for the delivery of a batch of 111 Borsuk infantry fighting vehicles.

On Thursday, March 27, 2025, in Warsaw, the first contract for the delivery of Borsuk infantry fighting vehicles was signed in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz; Secretaries of State at the Ministry of National Defence, Paweł Bejda and Cezary Tomczyk; Minister of the Interior and Special Services Coordinator Tomasz Siemoniak; and Minister of State Assets Jakub Jaworowski.

Photos: Monika Dwulatek/WCEO

The contract, signed between the Armaments Agency – representing the State Treasury of the Republic of Poland – and a consortium comprising the Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) and Huta Stalowa Wola (HSW), concerns the delivery of 111 Borsuk infantry fighting vehicles. The gross value of the agreement is approximately 6.57 billion PLN. Deliveries are scheduled to take place between 2025 and 2029. The contract also includes a training and logistics package, the development of Technical Documentation for Serial Production, a Commissioned Acceptance Testing Program, and the execution of those tests.

It is worth emphasizing that the Borsuk IFV is a key response to the current and future needs of Poland’s mechanized forces. It is expected to become the dominant solution in this segment within the Polish Armed Forces. The generational replacement of legacy, Soviet-era BMP-1 vehicles will require a significant ramp-up in the manufacturer’s production capacity to urgently enhance the defense potential of the Polish Armed Forces.

This is a historic moment. This is something that generations of Polish soldiers have been waiting for, and so have all those who worked on developing the Borsuk: on achieving its full readiness and making it available for acquisition by the Polish Armed Forces. In 2014, a decision was made to begin research and development of a Polish IFV with full capabilities, to be produced domestically. (…) Today, it is the subject of a signed contract. It’s becoming a reality — an action we have long awaited. (…) The 6.5 billion złoty – the value of the contract for 111 Borsuk vehicles – will go to Huta Stalowa Wola, but also to all the project’s cooperating partners,” said Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz during the contract signing ceremony for the Borsuk deliveries.

“I would like to thank Minister Bejda, who directly oversees the arms procurement process, and the Armaments Agency, which leads negotiations and signs the contracts. I also want to thank Minister Tomczyk, responsible for infrastructure, because this project required major infrastructural preparations as well. (…) We are proud of this contract. We brought it to completion. (…) This was the question I was asked most often at press conferences – when will the Borsuk contract be signed? Today, we can confidently say that Poland is safer, and the Polish Armed Forces are better equipped. Security and the economy – these two elements come together in the Borsuk program. Security, gained through outstanding Polish-made military equipment, and economic benefit, because all of these funds go to Polish defense companies. We are fulfilling our promise to invest in the Polish defense industry. (…) This strengthens our defense sector, and we will continue this work. We are building a strong, resilient army. We are building a strong and resilient society. (…) This is our most important mission in government – our most important mission in managing the state. Once again, I thank everyone who, in any way over the years, contributed to making this contract possible today,” said the Minister of National Defence during the event.

It’s happened. Borsuk will be produced in Poland – one hundred percent Polish technological expertise. We are fulfilling the commitment we made during the election campaign with Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, when we pledged that at least 50% of defense spending should remain in Polish defense industry facilities. Today, we are keeping that promise. 6.5 billion złoty will stay within Polish defense companies. This is not only a great day for Poland’s defense industry, but also a great day for the Polish military. It is an especially important day for the soldiers who will operate this highly modern and safe vehicle, equipped with the world’s most advanced unmanned turret. Borsuks will also be recovery vehicles, medical evacuation vehicles, command vehicles, and chemical reconnaissance vehicles. It’s a whole family of vehicles that will serve in the Polish Armed Forces. (…) I also want to thank all taxpayers who work hard and pay their taxes. It’s thanks to those taxes that we can purchase the best equipment for the Polish military. And let me tell you – the Polish Armed Forces are a very demanding customer. We set the highest standards and expectations. That’s a responsibility, because these are public funds, and every złoty must be spent wisely,” emphasized Deputy Minister Paweł Bejda.

Let’s be clear: Borsuk is the most advanced combat vehicle in its class anywhere in the world. (…) Today, we are fully capable of being globally competitive when it comes to the defense industry. I’ve heard some voices here in Poland suggesting that we should keep buying equipment from abroad, as if we had some sort of inferiority complex. Well, I want to turn that around today. Let’s drop the inferiority complex. And I say this to all those listening to us from abroad: buy from Poland. We have world-class products like the Borsuk, but also the Rak mortar system, the Piorun MANPADS, and the Grot rifle. These are all weapons systems currently in use around the world — actively used in combat, including in Ukraine — and they perform exceptionally well. We have the potential to become a true defense industry powerhouse, and we must do everything we can to make that happen. This cooperation between the Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of State Assets, and the defense industry is key to ensuring that funds are spent in Poland, that technological expertise remains in Poland, that patents are developed in Poland — and that, in times of crisis, production happens right here. These are absolutely critical elements for our success,” said Cezary Tomczyk, Secretary of State at the Ministry of National Defence, during the event.

The signing of the contract is the result of a framework agreement dated February 28, 2023, which was intended to define the rules and conditions for concluding individual executive contracts related to the delivery of Borsuk infantry fighting vehicles, as well as the entire family of specialized tracked vehicles based on the Universal Modular Tracked Platform (UMPG) for the Polish Armed Forces.

As a result of the framework agreement, approximately 1,400 vehicles will be procured over the course of the project, including a range of specialist variants such as the Żuk tracked reconnaissance vehicle, the Oset tracked command vehicle, the Gotem armored medical evacuation vehicle, the Gekon armored recovery vehicle, and the Ares chemical reconnaissance vehicle.

On April 28, 2022, four additional prototypes (in addition to the original unit) were contracted to carry out testing within a system environment.

The Borsuk infantry fighting vehicle, based on the Universal Modular Tracked Platform (UMPG), is equipped with the 30 mm Remote-Controlled Turret System (ZSSW-30). The vehicle has a crew of three: a commander, a weapon systems operator, and a driver. It is designed to transport six soldiers to the battlefield while providing a high level of protection, and to support infantry units using its onboard weapon systems. Thanks to its armament system, the Borsuk is capable of engaging enemy infantry, armored vehicles, aerial targets, and other battlefield threats in all weather conditions, day or night. The vehicle is characterized by high mobility and the ability to overcome rough terrain and water obstacles by swimming. It is fully operable in various climate conditions. Its maximum road speed is 65 km/h, and it can reach 8 km/h in water. The combat weight in its standard configuration is 28 tonnes.

The ZSSW-30 remote-controlled turret system is armed with a Bushmaster Mk.44S automatic cannon capable of operating in both automatic and semi-automatic modes, and can fire five different types of ammunition, including programmable rounds. Its integrated secondary armament includes a modified 7.62 mm UKM-2000C coaxial machine gun. The turret is also equipped with a dual launcher for anti-tank guided missiles.

The Borsuk infantry fighting vehicle has been in development since 2014, based on an agreement signed on October 24, 2014, between the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBiR) and a consortium of Polish entities led by Huta Stalowa Wola. The consortium includes: the OBRUM Research and Development Centre for Mechanical Equipment, Rosomak, the Military Electronic Works (WZE), the Military Engineering Works in Dęblin (now part of HSW), the Military Automotive Works (WZM), as well as the War Studies University, the Military University of Technology, the Military Institute of Armoured and Automotive Technology, and the Warsaw University of Technology.

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