Equipped with top-tier tanks like the Black Panther and SEPV3 Abrams, Poland’s armored corps is second to none.
Poland’s armored corps continues to grow in strength. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Warsaw and other Eastern European nations have prioritized their defense capabilities. Wary of Moscow’s potential escalations, Poland has specifically beefed up its main battle tank (MBT) contingent. Earlier this year, the United States delivered its initial tranche of M1A2 Abrams tanks to Poland as part of a foreign military sale greenlit in 2022. This month, Warsaw announced that a shipment of additional tanks has arrived, including 38 M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams and 14 M88A2 Hercules armored vehicles. Poland has also procured the South Korean K2 Black Panther MBT series, a top-tier platform that will undoubtedly fortify the nation’s defense posture. Coupled with the recently delivered SEPv3 Abrams tanks, Poland’s current MBT fleet is truly versatile and formidable.
The K2 Black Panther
The K2 Black Panther MBT platform is the product of South Korea’s efforts to field wholly domestically produced defense equipment. The majority of the tank series and its components were designed locally in order to reduce Seoul’s reliance on foreign partners. The dominant tank series features an automatic loader positioned in the turret bustle, which arms the German Rheinmetall CN08 120mm/L55 smoothbore gun that is licensed in Seoul. As detailed by Military Watch Magazine, this armament system can instantaneously detect, select, and load the necessary type and amount of ammunition. In fact, the gun can fire approximately 10-15 rounds per minute and can be used with an array of munitions, including all the standard NATO rounds. Other notable attributes incorporated into the South Korean tank include a thermographic camera that enables operators to track specific targets at ranges of nearly 10km. Additionally, the K2 platform has been equipped with explosive reactive armor to beef up its already top-notch plating.
The SEPv3 Abrams
The Abrams family of tanks is arguably one of the most well-respected MBT series in service across the globe. For four decades, the Abrams tanks have remained the mainstay of the US Army’s armored corps. Over the years, successive variants have been introduced, all incorporating emerging technologies as they have been introduced. The US Army initially contracted manufacturer General Dynamics Land Systems back in 2015 to field the SEPv3 iteration of the Abrams series. Each of these MBTs is equipped with an M256 120mm smoothbore cannon and an advanced forward-looking infrared to detect targets. As explained by Army Technology, “The IFLIR employs long and mid-wave infrared technology to enhance target acquisition, identification, and engagement compared to the existing second-generation FLIR.” Powered by the Honeywell AGT1500 gas turbine engine, the SEPv3 MBTs are quicker than some of their preceding variants. All in all, the SEPv3 upgrade package will allow the Abrams platform to serve well into the next few decades.
Equipped with top-tier tank platforms like the Black Panther and SEPV3 Abrams, Poland’s armored corps’ capabilities are truly second to none.
About the Author: Maya Carlin
Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has bylines in many publications, including The National Interest, The Jerusalem Post, and The Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin.
Image: DVIDS.
