The Defense Minister of Poland Mariusz Blaszczak signed an agreement on the purchase of 116 M1A1 Abrams tanks from the United States on Wednesday, January 4.
As RMF24 writes, the signing of the contract took place at the headquarters of the First Warsaw Armored Brigade in Vesoliy. It is this brigade that will receive tanks, which will then strengthen the eastern borders of Poland. The tanks are expected to arrive in late 2024.
"We are strengthening the armored fist of the Polish army, we are strengthening the Polish armed forces to effectively deter the aggressor," the minister noted.
Blaszczak emphasized that the deal also includes a technical support package for Abrams. He also reminded that in September 2022, a separate contract was concluded for upgraded Abrams M1A2 SEP v3 tanks.
- Due to the significant supply of weapons to Ukraine, the Polish army seeks to strengthen its defense capabilities at the expense of new equipment. In addition to Abrams, Poland purchases almost 400 K2 Black Panther tanks and K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzers from South Korea.
- The first 10 K2 tanks and 24 K9 self-propelled guns arrived in December 2022.
- The countryʼs government plans to invest almost €110 billion in the modernization of the army by 2035.