KIELCE, Poland — As Poland’s defense spending has reached record levels, the country aims to increasingly shift from the role of a buyer of foreign military gear to its exporter, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Polish Deputy Prime Minister and National Defence Minister, said on the opening day of this year’s MSPO show here.
The technology demonstrator for a new heavy tracked infantry fighting vehicle, developed by Poland’s industry and presented during the event, reflects this ambition.
“Poland is becoming a country that not only buys military gear from the world, but is also its major producer,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said at the show’s opening ceremony on Sept. 8.
The deputy prime minister said the Polish defense industry can benefit from the European Union’s Security Action For Europe (SAFE) scheme. Under the instrument, Poland has been allocated up to €43.7 billion ($50.8 billion) worth of low-interest loans for military acquisitions.
“We have reached a level of fifty-fifty [between domestic military gear purchases and imports]. This would not happen without the SAFE mechanism,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
The Polish sector is dominated by state-owned defense group PGZ but also features a group of emerging private companies.
Kosiniak-Kamysz named PGZ’s new heavy tracked infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), whose technology demonstrator was officially presented during this year’s MSPO event, as one of the examples of the Polish industry’s potential flagship export products.
“This is a modern platform, with a weight of between 40 and 43 tons, which maximizes troop protection,” a PGZ representative told Defense News. “We plan to present the vehicle’s prototype next year, and it could enter serial production in 2029.”
The heavy IFV is to be added to PGZ’s offer alongside the group’s light tracked IFV, the Borsuk (Badger), that is already in production. To date, the Polish Ministry of National Defence has ordered 257 Borsuks from the group, with deliveries of up to 1,400 units of the platform in different variants envisioned ina 2023 framework agreement.
Military officials expect around 700 heavy IFVs could be procured for the Polish Army.
While Poland’s pro-European Union government is advancing efforts to ramp up domestic weapons, equipment and ammunition production, while also intensify cooperation with European partners, the country remains a major buyer of gear from the United States.
Over the past years, Poland has placed orders for Abrams tanks, F-35 fighter jets, AH-64E Apache helicopters, Patriot missiles and M142 HIMARS rocket launchers, among other equipment.
Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.
