On Tuesday, November 26, 2024, the press service of the 1st Tank Battalion of the 19th Lublin Mechanized Brigade (1. bcz 19. BZ) announced the delivery of additional M1A1FEP Abrams tanks (Firepower Enhancement Package) to the unit, which is being rearmed from T-72M1 tanks.
Photos: Pvt 1st Class Daniel Brzozowski, 1. bcz
Along with the tanks, M88A2 HERCULES recovery vehicles were also delivered.
This is the second delivery of new tanks to Żurawica this year, although the date of the first delivery was not publicly disclosed. However, information from February 22 of this year reveals that soldiers from the 1st Tank Battalion had been training on the M1A1FEP at the Abrams Academy in the Land Forces Training Center in Poznań for several weeks. Earlier reports indicated that deliveries to Żurawica were expected to begin in February 2024, so it can be assumed that they took place slightly later, following the completion of the training. The first public mention of the M1A1FEP in Żurawica is dated June 26.
On September 30, it was reported that the first live-fire training had taken place at the unit.
Source: 1. bcz
Previously, M1A1FEP tanks were delivered to the 1st Tank Battalion of the 1st Warsaw Armored Brigade named after General Tadeusz Kościuszko in Wesoła.
Let us recall that on June 26 of this year, the final transport of tanks arrived in Poland, consisting of 47 units (along with 26 M1152A1B2 HMMWV workshop vehicles). Previous deliveries occurred as follows: January 6 of this year, with 29 tanks; November 21, 2023, with 26 tanks and 9 M88A2 HERCULES recovery vehicles; and June 28, 2023, with 14 tanks and 3 M88A2s.
The contract for the delivery of 116 M1A1FEP Abrams tanks was signed on January 4, 2023. The value of the agreement is approximately 1.4 billion USD net, of which nearly 200 million USD was financed by the American side through assistance funds allocated to Poland under the FMF (Foreign Military Financing) program.
Meanwhile, on October 31 of this year, the industry portal Army Recognition reported that the first shipment of 250 M1A2SEPv3 Abrams tanks is expected to arrive in Poland by the end of the year, ahead of the original schedule set for 2025. These vehicles were ordered on April 5, 2022, as part of a 4.75 billion USD package.
Recently, new tanks were also delivered to another unit of the Polish Armed Forces. On November 14, the 9th Braniewo Armored Cavalry Brigade, part of the 16th Mechanized Division, received its first K2 Heuk-Pyo (Black Panther) tanks in the GF (Gap Filler) version, which will replace the PT-91 Twardy.
