Poland takes delivery of 1st batch of US-made M1 Abrams tanks

By Ahmet Gencturk

ANKARA

Poland has taken delivery of its first batch of US-made M1 Abrams tanks, local media reported Monday.

The batch includes seven tanks and two support vehicles on which Polish tank crews will be trained, said state-run news agency PAP, citing Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak.

The tanks, in their older version, will be used for training which will start in August, before a contracted 250 new tanks arrive in Poland, which is expected in early 2023, the agency added.

On April 5, the country signed a contract worth nearly $4.75 billion to buy 250 MA12 SEP battle tanks from the US following a December 2020 agreement with Washington for 32 F-35 jets.

It also revealed that Poland agreed to a contract with the US on the purchase of 116 more used M1 Abrams tanks.

The Abrams tanks will operate near Poland's eastern border "to deter an aggressor," Błaszczak stressed, according to PAP.

Błaszczak said in June that Poland is on course to establish new land forces units and purchase modern weapons, including Patriot air defense systems, F-35 fighter jets, M1A2 Abrams tanks and High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) from the US, Bayraktar armed drones from Türkiye and K2 Black Panther tanks from South Korea.