Subcontract signed for the production of K2PL tanks and ARV vehicles

On Monday, April 27, 2026, at the headquarters of Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) in Warsaw, Zakłady Mechaniczne Bumar-Łabędy and South Korean company Hyundai Rotem Company (HRC) signed a subcontracting agreement regulating activities related to the assembly, servicing, and adaptation of K2 tanks to the K2PL version. ZM Bumar-Łabędy also signed subcontracting agreements under the program with PGZ entities: PCO of Warsaw and Wojskowe Zakłady Elektroniczne (WZE) of Zielonka.

Photos: Polish Armaments Group

“I would like to thank everyone involved in the K2PL project. This is a strategic undertaking in which Poland and Korea are conducting demanding negotiations. Our cooperation is becoming a showcase for partners in Europe, strengthening security and development, and involving more Polish companies,” said Konrad Golota, deputy minister of state assets responsible for oversight of State Treasury companies in the defense sector.

HRC will actively participate in the preparation process and provide support, the necessary technical training, and technology transfer to Polish facilities.

“Today’s subcontracting agreement marks another phase in the development of the competencies of Polish Armaments Group companies. In doing so, we are restoring domestic capabilities in the production of heavy armored equipment. Our goal is not only to provide the Polish Armed Forces with modern armaments, but also to permanently strengthen the competencies of the Polish defense industry,” said Arkadiusz Bąk, first vice-president of the management board of PGZ.

Two companies belonging to Polish Armaments Group, PCO and WZE, will be involved in implementing Polish solutions in the K2PL tanks and accompanying vehicles. For this reason, agreements were also signed between Zakłady Mechaniczne Bumar-Łabędy and PCO, as well as Wojskowe Zakłady Elektroniczne (WZE will manufacture and service the dead-reckoning navigation systems for the K2 tanks).

“We are gradually moving closer to launching a modern assembly line for K2PL tanks and accompanying vehicles. The agreement signed today sets out specific principles for support and technical training from HRC, which the company will provide for Bumar-Łabędy,” said Monika Kruczek, president of the management board of ZM Bumar-Łabędy.

“Our cooperation with Zakłady Mechaniczne Bumar-Łabędy forms the foundation of the K2PL program, enabling the transfer of advanced technologies and the development of modern production capabilities in Poland. Through this partnership, we are not only delivering state-of-the-art tanks, but also building long-term industrial competencies, including local production and a stable maintenance and servicing system. This project reflects our shared ambitions to strengthen Poland’s defense capabilities while developing a lasting Polish-Korean industrial partnership based on innovation, technology transfer, and shared security,” said Yong-bae Lee, president and CEO of Hyundai Rotem Company.

On August 1, 2025, the Armament Agency of the Ministry of National Defense and HRC concluded implementation contract No. 2 for another 180 tanks, including 116 K2GF tanks, with deliveries in 2026–2027, and 64 vehicles in the adapted K2PL configuration, of which 61 will be assembled in Poland. The contract also covers 81 accompanying vehicles of three types: armored recovery vehicles (31), armored engineering vehicles (25), and armored vehicle-launched bridges (25), which will be developed and built in Poland. All of this falls under the framework agreement for a total of 1,000 K2GF/PL tanks; the first implementation contract for 180 K2GF tanks was finalized on November 13, 2025.

Implementation contract No. 2 also provides for technology transfer, including the establishment of production capacity at Polish defense industry companies for final assembly, as well as the acquisition of capabilities for full tank maintenance and operation. Therefore, on October 28, 2025, representatives of ZM Bumar-Łabędy and HRC officially signed an agreement to acquire, among other things, tools and production equipment needed to launch an assembly line for tanks and accompanying vehicles in Poland.

In turn, on December 15, 2025, the Armament Agency and HRC signed a sublicense agreement covering the transfer of authorizations to perform MRO tasks on the Polish market, which opened the way to building domestic maintenance and repair capabilities for K2GF tanks and, in the future, K2PL tanks and ARV vehicles.

Compared with the original configuration, the K2PL tanks will be equipped, among other things, with additional protection in the form of an active protection system, an anti-drone system, and additional armor. The vehicles will also be modified based on conclusions drawn from the operational use of K2GF tanks to date (K2 Black Panther tanks in the Polish Army).

Ważny dzień dla rozwoju naszego przemysłu zbrojeniowego. Zakłady Mechaniczne Bumar ŁABĘDY S.A. oraz @HyundaiRotem podpisały umowę regulującą współpracę dotyczącą montażu, serwisowania i polonizacji produkcji czołgów K2 i wozów zabezpieczenia technicznego ARV. W ten proces… pic.twitter.com/krrsRsE1Id

— Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz (@KosiniakKamysz) April 27, 2026