Poland signs for Abrams
Polish Minister of National Defence Mariusz Blaszczak pictured signing the contract for 250 M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams MBTs. (Photo: Polish MND/Twitter)
Will the delivery of advanced US-made MBTs to Poland free up T-72M/M1s for donation to Ukraine?
Polish Minister of National Defence Mariusz Blaszczak on 5 April officially signed a PLN25.3 billion ($6 billion) procurement contract for 250 M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams MBTs plus N/VLQ-12 CREW Duke counter-IED systems; 26 M88A2 Hercules armoured recovery vehicles; 17 M1110 joint assault bridges; and 276 M2 50cal and 500 M240C 7.62mmm machine guns.
Deliveries are scheduled to begin later in 2022.
Blaszczak noted in a statement on Twitter that the M1A2 SEPv3 deal began in July 2021, adding: ‘Today we are finalising this process, [and] the contract has been signed.’
The new MBTs will partially replace the 400 or so T-72M/M1s in Polish service. Given reports (in the New York Times, for instance) that the US is brokering the transfer of T-72s and other Soviet-era materiel from NATO allies to Ukraine to aid its resistance against the Russian invasion, it is not inconceivable the older Polish tanks will be donated to Kyiv.
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