Poland will purchase about one thousand Borsuk infantry fighting vehicles manufactured by a consortium of Polish companies led by Huta Stalowa Wola. It has been reported Defense Post Referring to the statement of Wojciech Skurkiewicz, Deputy Minister of National Defense of Poland.
The contract for the supply of armored vehicles between the government and industry is expected to be signed before the weekend. Borsuk should replace the BWP-1 (Polish version of the Soviet BMP-1) in the troops.
“This is a very important contract for the Polish military industry and the Polish Army,” the publication said, quoting the minister’s words.
The consortium, which started developing the tracked vehicle in 2014, presented a demo in 2017. In 2020, Borsuk passed government trials, and operational tests, including shooting and tactical exercises, began in November 2022.
Warsaw’s original plan was to purchase 10 Borsukov divisions – about 588 vehicles – to sign a production deal in 2022 and deliver by 2035.
However, the Russian military operation in Ukraine led to the revision of the plan, as a result of which the number of vehicles purchased was increased to 1000 units.
The anticipated acquisition comes weeks after Warsaw announced it would increase its defense budget to 4% of GDP in 2023.
Borsuk is available in various versions, the lightest being a 25-tonne and the heaviest 40-ton floating ship.
It is equipped with an uninhabited ZSSW-30 turret, a WB Electronics automatic fire control system, a 30 mm Mk 44S Bushmaster cannon and a 7.62 mm UKM-2000C machine gun.
The turret also houses a Spike LR anti-tank missile launcher with a range of 5.5 km.
Previously reportedPoland will spend 27.7 billion euros on military spending in 2023, which is 4% of the country’s GDP. The budget plans to allocate PLN 97 billion (€20.6 billion) for the purchase of military equipment and missile systems, and another €7 million will be allocated from the Armed Forces Support Fund.