On Monday, May 18, 2026, at the Dęblin Branch of Wojskowe Zakłady Lotnicze No 1. (WZL-1, Military Aviation Works No. 1), part of the Polish Armaments Group (PGZ), Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Deputy Defence Minister Cezary Tomczyk and Deputy Minister of State Assets Konrad Gołota attended the signing of an agreement between WZL-1 and the US company Honeywell to establish an Authorized Service Center for AGT1500 engines used in M1 Abrams tanks.
Photos: Polish Ministry of National Defence
“This is a special moment confirming one of the most important foundations of Poland’s security: the long-standing cooperation and friendship between Poland and the United States. We are opening an authorized service center for Abrams tank engines. There are only three such places in the world. As of today, Poland is one of them,” Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.
“The signing of the agreement for the Abrams tank Engine Service Center is a symbolic event. The aviation works are becoming a service hub that will serve the army. We will service and repair Abrams tanks. We are continuing what is good and changing what is bad. Today, we need precisely this kind of investment,” Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said in Dęblin.
The investment in Dęblin offers an opportunity for new jobs and the development of the defense industry. “This investment will serve Poland’s security and is a symbol of good Polish-American cooperation,” the defence minister emphasized during the event.
The Authorized Service Center for AGT1500 engines used in Abrams tanks at the Dęblin Branch of WZL-1 will become the third such facility in the world and the only one in Europe authorized to service these engines.
“There are only three places in the world where such centers operate: the United States, Australia and now Poland. There is no better proof of the durability, reliability and prospects of Polish-American cooperation,” Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.
The center will have the capability to carry out a broad range of repairs on AGT1500 engines. As part of the investment, technical infrastructure will be adapted, personnel training will be provided, and spare parts stocks will be built up to support AGT1500 engine repairs.
The center will provide a full range of maintenance services: from routine servicing and repairs to major overhauls of AGT1500 engines. The scale of demand is significant: Poland has ordered 366 Abrams tanks, including 116 M1A1FEP and 250 M1A2SEPv3 vehicles, which means there will be a need to maintain an effective service support base for many years of operation of this fleet. Locating the center in Poland is not only a matter of logistics, but above all of building domestic technical expertise and shortening the time in which vehicles can return to service after inspection or repair. The center is expected to open in 2028.
“Our role is to support customers in turning advanced technology into real operational capability,” said Dave Marinick, president and chief executive of Engines & Power Systems at Honeywell Aerospace. “The development of an AGT1500 engine service facility in Poland will strengthen local expertise, service support and the country’s defense ecosystem,” he added.
Honeywell, as the manufacturer of the AGT1500 engine, will contribute unique technical expertise to the project and provide training for WZL-1 employees. The Polish side will be responsible for infrastructure and experience in servicing military equipment. The cooperation is intended to result in the permanent transfer of service capabilities to Poland.
“Ensuring the proper operation of equipment in service with the Polish Armed Forces not only contributes to the development of the industrial potential of the entire Polish Armaments Group, but also plays a key role in building national security,” noted Dr. Eng. Jacek A. Goszczyński, president of the management board of WZL-1.
The AGT1500 engine is the heart of the Abrams platform. The 1,500-hp (1,103-kW) gas turbine engine, in the TIGER (Total Integrated Engine Revitalization) standard, is coupled with an upgraded Allison DDA X-1100-3B automatic transmission in a power-pack configuration. It plays a key role in the tank’s performance, providing very good acceleration and responsiveness, which are essential for a heavy armored vehicle operating in difficult field conditions.
It is a three-shaft engine of modular design, consisting of five submodules, including a two-stage low-pressure compressor and a four-stage high-pressure compressor. Its dimensions are approximately 1.6 m × 1 m × 0.7 m, and its weight is around 1,134 kg. It is characterized by a high power-to-weight ratio, compact design, the ability to operate on various fuels, such as gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel, rapid start-up, immediate power availability and relatively quiet operation, with high sound frequencies that are difficult to detect from a distance. The TIGER program improved the reliability of the units.
“We are committed to building maintenance capabilities where they are needed most: close to the fleet and its users,” emphasized Piotr Marczuk, Defense & Space leader for Central and Eastern Europe at Honeywell Aerospace. “By supporting WZL-1 in developing capabilities in the servicing, diagnostics and repair of AGT1500 engines, we are helping to strengthen the readiness of Poland’s Abrams fleet. At the same time, we are creating a service support base that, in the future, could serve users of these vehicles across Europe.”
In the future, the center’s scope of activity may be expanded. The partners will analyze the possibility of launching production and major overhauls of selected spare parts in Poland as well. This would be another step in developing an industrial strategy focused on transatlantic cooperation and a more resilient supply chain.
The investment in the AGT1500 Authorized Service Center will be implemented in 2026–2028 at a cost of approximately 300 million PLN. The company’s recapitalization with 130.7 million PLN from the Capital Investment Fund, supplemented by WZL-1’s own contribution of 34.6 million PLN, will enable infrastructure investments and access to Honeywell’s tooling, documentation and licensing rights as the engine’s OEM. A key element of the activities undertaken is the possibility of establishing a buffer stock of spare parts, allowing maintenance work to be carried out efficiently. The creation of the buffer stock is possible thanks to the company receiving a loan of up to 141 million PLN from the European Investment Bank. The agreement on co-financing the construction of the AGT1500 Engine Service Center was signed on May 6, 2026, by the Ministry of State Assets and the Polish Armaments Group.
“We are consistently investing in the technological, competence and business development of Polish Armaments Group companies. The agreement between WZL-1 and Honeywell will, on the one hand, respond to the needs of the Polish Armed Forces as the largest Abrams tank user in the region. On the other hand, the establishment of Europe’s only authorized service center for AGT1500 engines creates an opportunity to service these engines for other European Abrams users as well, and also for US Army tanks stationed at bases on our continent, including in Poland,” said Adam Leszkiewicz, president of the management board of PGZ.
The investment schedule provides for WZL-1 to obtain the capability to service AGT1500 engines as early as the first quarter of 2028. Once this capability is achieved, WZL-1 will be the only authorized AGT1500 engine service center in Europe, enabling it to service engines from other countries as well. The investment is part of the long-term development strategy of WZL-1 and the PGZ Group, strengthening its production and service capabilities and its position in the defense market.
The implementation of the investment project will allow WZL-1 to expand its service offering, strengthen the company’s market position by increasing its capacity to handle contracts with key customers, including in the defense sector, increase employment in the region, support the development of the local economy and raise technical and operational standards for AGT1500 engine servicing.
The Polish Armed Forces operate 116 M1A1FEP and 146 of the 250 ordered M1A2SEPv3 Abrams tanks.
On November 14, 2025, Military Aviation Works No. 1 signed a framework agreement with the 2nd Regional Logistics Base for the verification, servicing and overhaul of AGT1500 engines in the Polish Armed Forces. The agreement will remain in force from 2028 to 2034.
Earlier, on July 6, 2022, the Polish Armaments Group signed a memorandum of cooperation with the US company Honeywell on establishing local service capabilities for key military components and infrastructure in the fields of engines, powertrains and vehicle electronics for the Polish Armed Forces. As reported at the time, thanks to this cooperation, the engines will be serviced in Poland, which will measurably shorten the time needed to carry out maintenance work and increase the availability of military equipment for the Polish Armed Forces.
See also:
