Polish MoD Comments on Additional Abrams Tanks

Poland has ordered a total of 366 Abrams tanks through government-to-government Foreign Military Sales (FMS) agreements in 2022 (250 tanks in the M1A2 SEPv3 version) and 2023 (116 tanks in the M1A1 version). Both agreements also included operational support, ammunition, and technical support vehicles. The tanks from the second contract have already been delivered, and deliveries of the new version of the Abrams have also begun.

The Abrams tanks are being integrated into the 18th Mechanized Division. Other units, initially the 16th Mechanized Division, will gradually transition to K2/K2PL tanks. The parallel introduction of both K2 and Abrams tanks has accelerated the modernization of Poland’s armored forces, which is crucial given that well over 300 T-72M/M1/M1R and PT-91 Twardy tanks, as well as 14 Leopard 2A4s, were transferred to Ukraine as military aid. The delivery of Abrams tanks has also allowed for the transfer of Leopard 2A5/2PL tanks to the 34th Armored Cavalry Brigade, from where they were originally supplied to the 1st Armored Brigade in Wesoła between 2017 and 2019. Additionally, Defence24.pl was informed by Lt. Col. Marek Pawlak, spokesperson for the General Command of the Polish Armed Forces, that unmodified T-72M/M1 tanks are no longer in use in units under the General Command, with only modified versions remaining in service.

There have been recurring speculations about a possible additional purchase of Abrams tanks by Poland. In January, Minister of State Assets Jakub Jaworowski stated in response to a parliamentary inquiry regarding the situation at the Military Automotive Works (Wojskowe Zakłady Motoryzacyjne, WZM S.A.) in Poznań that “talks have already been initiated with General Dynamics Land Systems, Inc. (GDLS) regarding, among other things, the establishment of a Regional Support Center (RSC) for Abrams M1 tanks at WZM S.A. and the joint production of additional Abrams M1A2 tanks for the Polish Armed Forces.” Additionally, former U.S. National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien recently wrote on 19fortyfive about a possible sale of around 800 additional Abrams tanks to Poland.

However, the MoD reiterated in its response to Defence24.pl that “no actions are currently being taken regarding the procurement of additional Abrams tanks for the Polish Armed Forces.” The ministry added that “during a meeting between MoD representatives and General Dynamics Land Systems, discussions focused on establishing a Regional Support Center for Abrams M1 tanks at WZM S.A. under a business-to-business (B2B) agreement.”

This confirms earlier reports that there are no plans to purchase additional Abrams tanks beyond the 366 already ordered. Meanwhile, WZM S.A. has begun initial steps to develop maintenance capabilities for Abrams tanks, both for Poland and other regional countries.

As for other Land Forces units, K2 tanks are being introduced into service. The majority of the 180 K2 tanks ordered under the first contract have already been delivered to units under the 16th Mechanized Division and training units. In total, 98 K2 tanks are currently in service—84 were delivered between 2022 and 2024, and 14 arrived just a few days ago, alongside a batch of K9A1 howitzers. Negotiations are now underway for a second contract covering 180 additional K2/K2PL tanks, along with 81 support vehicles.

In a recent interview with Defence24.pl, Deputy Minister of Defense Paweł Bejda stated that the MoD is ready to sign this contract, and the South Korean side has provided a $5 billion loan. However, final agreements between Polish and Korean defense industries still need to be settled, as Poland requires part of the tanks to be produced domestically. The production capabilities established in Poland will also be used for future orders, as the framework agreement for K2/K2PL tanks covers a total of 1,000 tanks.

Thus, alongside the Abrams-equipped 18th Mechanized Division, the K2/K2PL will be the next main battle tank introduced into the Polish Armed Forces.