WARSAW — Germany's Rheinmetall has teamed up with the state-run Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) to develop a new armored vehicle for Poland's military, with Poland's planned military vehicle tender in mind.

Rheinmetall said in a statement that the two partners have agreed to develop a six-wheel-drive armored vehicle that which will be "oriented to the requirements of the Polish Army's LOTR [light armored reconnaissance vehicle] procurement program." The designed vehicle is to weigh less than 20 tons.

"Signing this contract with [Rheinmetall] makes us an equal partner of a globally leading defense … enterprise. Propelled by the success of the Rosomak armored transport vehicle, we launched this ambitious project, which will result in a new wheeled armored vehicle," said Wojciech Dabrowski, the chief executive of the Polish group.

The Polish Ministry of Defense is aiming to replace the military's outdated Soviet-built BRDM-2 amphibious armored vehicle. Following the announcement, German business daily Handelsblatt reported that Poland plans to acquire 200 new vehicles for an estimated €300 million euros (US $330 million).

PGZ's OBRUM Gliwice research unit will participate in the research and development works on behalf of the Polish group. Under the plan, the vehicle is to be also offered in foreign military tenders.

Email: jadamowski@defensenews.com

Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.

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