On Tuesday, March 25, 2025, the Military Communication Institute – National Research Institute, which is subordinate to the Polish Ministry Of National Defense, announced the launch of a competitive dialogue procedure for the supply of equipment for Harris radios, intended for the ICT and communication system of the Light Armored Reconnaissance Carrier (LOTR) Kleszcz.
LOTR Kleszcz / Photo: AMZ-Kutno
The deadline for submitting requests to participate in the procedure is April 4, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. The sole criterion for selecting the offer will be price (100%). The estimated value of the contract is 863,000 PLN net (1,061,490 PLN gross), and the deadline for its completion is April 3, 2026.
Interestingly, this is the second attempt to procure ICT equipment for the LOTR Kleszcz. The previous procedure was launched on November 14, 2024, with the application deadline set for November 27, but it was canceled on January 13 of this year.
The LOTR Kleszcz was developed under a 2013 agreement between the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR) and a consortium of Polish entities, which included: AMZ-Kutno (lead contractor), the Military Communication Institute, the Military Institute of Armament Technology (WITU), and the Military Institute of Chemistry and Radiometry (WIChiR).
On February 28, 2024, the Armament Agency signed a framework agreement with AMZ-Kutno for the delivery of up to 286 LOTR Kleszcz vehicles, with deliveries scheduled through 2035. Subsequently, on August 14, 2024, the first implementation contract was signed, worth approximately 800 million PLN, for the delivery of a batch of 28 vehicles starting in 2026.
The Kleszcz will replace the BRDM-2 armored vehicles and their modernized variants in the reconnaissance units of the Polish Armed Forces. The carrier will enable dynamic and continuous acquisition and collection of information about the enemy and the operational environment, as well as the processing and transmission of reconnaissance data to higher command levels.
On November 15, 2024, the Turkish company Aselsan announced that it had signed a contract worth 16.632 million EUR (68.29 million PLN at the time) with AMZ-Kutno for the delivery of radar and electro-optical systems for the LOTR Kleszcz.
On November 22, 2024, the U.S. Department of Defense signed a contract with Allison Transmission Inc. to provide support services for the operation of gearboxes used in military vehicles operated by the Polish Armed Forces, including the LOTR Kleszcz.
Earlier, on December 13, 2023, the U.S. Department of State approved a potential sale to Poland of six types of radios manufactured by L3Harris Technologies, worth up to 255 million USD (1.007 billion PLN at the time). Radios from this manufacturer will be serviced at the newly established Lower Silesian Production and Service Center of the Polish Armaments Group (PGZ).