Poland’s National Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak has announced plans to procure 180 K2 Black Panther tanks, reported Reuters. Currently, the Polish Army uses many Russian tanks. Given its past experiences with invading tanks the Polish are taking any land invasion threat seriously.
Poland’s Defense Minister has announced that Poland will create the EU’s largest land forces.
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) July 24, 2022
The size of the army will increase to 400 000 and it will be served by 1000+ modern Main Battle Tanks.
?? 366 M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams ??
?? 250 Leopard 2A4
?? 180 K2
??/?? ca 400 K2PL pic.twitter.com/DMRe8lDLRi
Blaszczak said the first instalment of the 180 K2 Black Panthers will be procured this year. It will also include 48 FA-50 fighter jets and howitzers from South Korea, as the country strengthens its army because of the war in Ukraine.
Ultimately, these tanks will be produced in Poland. The K2 Black Panther main battle tank (MBT) was developed by Hyundai Motor Group’s affiliate Hyundai Rotem. With improved ergonomics and digitalisation, the tank promises enhanced mobility and firepower compared to the K1 series of vehicles.
The MBT also features a hunter-killer function, auto-target detection, and tracking systems, as well as electric gun and turret driving systems.
The Feb. 24 invasion, which Moscow calls a “special military operation” has raised security fears among many former eastern bloc countries, and NATO member Poland has vowed to boost defence spending to 3% of gross domestic product (GDP) and more than double the size of its army to deter any attacks.
How this is seen within the wider EU, and the energy-compromised Germans is yet to be determined.