On Wednesday, September 16, 2026, Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced on social media that additional K2GF Heuk-Pyo (Black Panther) tanks, delivered to Poland last month under the second implementation contract with Hyundai Rotem, had been transferred to the 16th Pomeranian Mechanized Division.
Photos: Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz
“Another important delivery of armament for our troops. Eighteen Korean tanks will strengthen the combat capabilities of the 16th Mechanized Division — this is the result of our contract from August 2025. Subsequent batches will also include vehicles produced in part with Polish components. We are not slowing down — we continue working to strengthen the capabilities of the Polish Armed Forces.”
Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz
The vehicles come from the first delivery under the second implementation contract, which arrived in Poland on August 25 and included 28 tanks. In total, Hyundai Rotem has delivered 208 tanks.
Of the total number delivered, 180 vehicles under the first implementation contract arrived in Poland between December 2022 and November 2025. The contract was signed on August 26, 2022, and was worth 3.37 billion USD net (15.98 billion PLN net / 19.65 billion PLN gross).
The second implementation contract, worth approximately 6.5 billion USD, was signed on August 1, 2025, and is scheduled for implementation between 2026 and 2030. It covers the delivery of 116 K2GF tanks in 2026–2027 and 64 vehicles in the K2PL configuration, 61 of which are to be assembled at Zakłady Mechaniczne Bumar-Łabędy. A second element of the contract is the development and delivery of 81 support vehicles in three variants: 31 armored recovery vehicles, 25 engineering vehicles, and 25 bridge-laying vehicles. The 2022 framework agreement provides for the possible acquisition by Poland of up to 1,000 K2GF/K2PL tanks.
Deliveries of the first 180 K2 Black Panther tanks enabled the rearmament of three tank battalions, each equipped with 58 vehicles, assigned to the 16th Pomeranian Mechanized Division headquartered in Olsztyn: the 20th Bartoszyce Mechanized Brigade, the 9th Armored Cavalry Brigade, and the 15th Mechanized Brigade. The remaining six vehicles were also delivered to the Land Forces Training Center in Poznań. Armored cavalry brigades each have three battalions, while mechanized brigades each have one tank battalion, meaning that a total of five tank battalions are subordinated to the 16th Division. As a result, the division requires a total of 290 K2 tanks.
Meanwhile, on August 21, the 2nd Regional Logistics Base launched a tender for the supply of technical materiel for K2GF tanks.
On September 9, the second day of the 34th MSPO, Hyundai Rotem signed a memorandum of understanding with Huta Częstochowa aimed at examining the possibility of using Polish-produced armor steel plates in the production of K2PL tanks, support vehicles, and other military platforms.
The K2 Black Panther is a South Korean 3+ generation main battle tank. Its main armament is a 120 mm smoothbore gun with an autoloader, capable of firing the latest types of ammunition. Secondary armament consists of a 7.62 mm machine gun and a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun. The tank’s advanced fire-control system provides high effectiveness at long ranges. Even in its standard configuration, the K2’s armor provides a high level of ballistic and mine protection and can be supplemented with soft-kill active protection systems such as VIRSS and hard-kill systems such as KAPS. The tank is powered by a 1,500 hp diesel engine coupled to an automatic transmission, providing high speed and mobility across varied terrain. It is characterized by a relatively low combat weight of 55 metric tons and the use of hydropneumatic suspension.
Compared with the original configuration, K2PL tanks will receive additional protection in the form of an active protection system, a counter-UAS system, and additional armor. The K2PL will also incorporate modifications based on lessons learned from the operational use of K2GF tanks to date.
More on the service of K2GF tanks in the Polish Armed Forces to date: K2 Black Panther tanks in the Polish Armed Forces.
As for Poland’s armored capability, the Polish Armed Forces currently operate 298 M1 Abrams tanks out of 366 ordered, including 116 M1A1FEPs and 182 M1A2SEPv3s, as well as 105 older Leopard 2A5s and Leopard 2A4s being upgraded to the Leopard 2PL/M1 standard. So far, 100 of 128 planned Leopard 2A4s have been delivered after modernization, under a contract with an option for 14 additional vehicles, although the same number was transferred to Ukraine. This gives a total of 711 Western-type tanks. Around 100 T-72 family tanks and 172 PT-91 Twardy tanks also remain in service
@16Dywizja rośnie w siłę ❗💪 Wzmacniamy potencjał bojowy północno-wschodniej 🇵🇱i wschodniej flanki #NATO ❗🫡 https://t.co/eQaHliNDg4
— 16 Dywizja Zmechanizowana (@16Dywizja) September 16, 2026
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