Poland advances plans for new armoured vehicles from South Korea
Poland plans to field more than 1,000 K2 MBTs, from both Korean and local production plants. (Photo: Hyundai Rotem)
Poland has released further details of its ambitious plans to stock up rapidly on new tanks and self-propelled howitzers of South Korean design, involving over 1,000 K2 MBTs and 600 K9 SPHs. Some will replace equipment supplied to Ukraine, but the bulk of production will be for expansion of the army.
On 27 July, the Polish Minister of Defence Mariusz Błaszczak signed a framework agreement for the purchase of 1,000 Hyundai Rotem K2 MBTs and over 600 Hanwha K9 SPHs, to be partly manufactured in Poland, plus 48 KAI FA-50 jets.
This represents a rapid restocking of Poland’s inventories. Shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Warsaw donated over 200 of its T-72 MBTs to Kyiv, and a few weeks ago another 200-plus PT-91 tanks. An urgent need to find replacements lead to Poland ‘fast-tracking’ the acquisition of 116 M1A1SA Abrams MBTs from US Army stocks, but this only fills part
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