On Tuesday, September 22, 2026, PONAR Wadowice was designated as a Polish defense industry company selected to receive a technology transfer covering the maintenance, repair, and overhaul of components used in South Korean K2 Black Panther main battle tanks. The Polish Ministry of National Defence approved Hyundai Rotem’s selection.
Image: Hyundai Rotem Company
“It is worth emphasizing that our company has been selected as a partner both for the repair, servicing, and maintenance, as well as for the production of components for the hydropneumatic suspension systems of K2 tanks that will be assembled and manufactured at the Bumar-Łabędy facilities in Gliwice,” said Marek Warzecha, President of the Management Board of PONAR Wadowice. He added: “This is an important decision and another step in building a domestic maintenance and support base for the K2 program.”
The selection of PONAR was preceded by a comprehensive audit conducted last year by experts from Hyundai Rotem Company. The audit assessed PONAR’s capabilities in two areas: ToT (Transfer of Technology), involving the transfer of technology from Hyundai Rotem to PONAR to enable the production of components used in K2 tanks, and MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul), covering the maintenance, repair, and overhaul of selected components used in K2 tanks.
The MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) and ToT (Transfer of Technology) audit, conducted with a view to launching production of K2 Black Panther tanks in Poland, is a key assessment of industrial readiness. Its purpose is to determine whether Polish defense companies possess the infrastructure, expertise, and procedures required to absorb technology transferred by the South Korean side, Hyundai Rotem, and subsequently to maintain and manufacture tanks to the K2PL standard.
“We are convinced that our many years of experience in designing, engineering, and manufacturing modern suspension systems for Polish tracked vehicles, as well as our advanced machinery and the expertise of our engineers, played a major role in this decision. There is no need to convince anyone that the hydropneumatic suspension is one of the key and highly complex elements of this tank,” concluded Piotr Rosikowski, Director of Technology and Development.
The K2 Black Panther is a South Korean 3+ generation main battle tank. Its main armament is a 120 mm smoothbore gun equipped with an autoloader and capable of firing the latest types of ammunition. The tank is powered by a 1,500 hp diesel engine coupled with an automatic transmission, providing high speed and mobility across a wide range of terrain. The K2 is characterized by its relatively low combat weight of 55 tonnes and the use of a hydropneumatic suspension system.
Changes planned for the K2PL configuration will include, among other things, enhanced armor protection, the addition of a 360-degree observation system, and an active protection system (APS).
As a reminder, by the end of 2027 the Polish Armed Forces will operate 296 K2 tanks in the GF configuration. Deliveries of the final, Polish-configured K2PL tanks will continue through 2030. The Polish Ministry of National Defence has also ordered 81 support vehicles based on the K2 chassis: 25 Armored Vehicle Launched Bridges (AVLBs), 25 Armored Engineering Vehicles (AEVs), and 31 Armored Recovery Vehicles (ARVs).
Press release
See also:
- Poland: K2 Black Panther tank engine maintenance in Poznań
- MSPO 2026: Hyundai Rotem and Huta Częstochowa sign agreement on potential use of Polish armor steel
- Poland: K2GF tanks from second contract delivered to 16th Mechanized Division
- FFG becomes subcontractor in K2PL support vehicle program
- Subcontract signed for the production of K2PL tanks and ARV vehicles
- Polish ZM Bumar-Łabędy and South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem Company sign breakthrough technology-transfer agreement for K2PL tank production
