Poland will locally produce the advanced K2 tanks under a $6.5 billion deal, accelerating its military modernization and strengthening defense ties amid growing regional security concerns.
NATO member Poland is well on track to become a major tank powerhouse, and it will also produce one of the world’s most capable main battle tanks (MBTs). Warsaw has concluded a deal with South Korean industrial defense group Hyundai Rotem, which will see the production of the K2 Black Panther in Poland.
This new order is for 180 of the MBTs, along with 81 other armored vehicles. The deal, reportedly worth around $6.5 billion, will see the Polish Armed Forces receive 116 K2GF variants, manufactured in South Korea, along with the first three K2PL models. Bumar-Łabędy, a subsidiary of the Polish state-owned PGZ group, will produce the remaining 61 K2PL MBTs.
“The new units will be better equipped than the existing ones, and production will be launched next year. In the years 2028 to 2030, we plan to have full-scale domestic production,” said Polish Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, who also serves as the national defense minister.
In addition to the K2, Poland has also signed contracts for additional South Korean-produced military hardware, including 212 K9 self-propelled howitzers, upwards of 300 K239 Chunmoo rocket artillery systems, and 48 FA-50 light combat aircraft.
Poland Loves the South Korean K2 Black Panther Tank
This is the second large-scale deal for the K2 Black Panther concluded between Warsaw and Seoul, and it follows a prior order for a batch of 180 MBTs that was concluded in 2022. Poland, which borders the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad to its north and close Russian ally Belarus to the east, has increased its military buildup, which began before Russia launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Since then, Warsaw has further increased defense spending with 4.7 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) directed to bolstering its military in 2025. Current plans call for it to increase that number even further, to five percent, next year.
Warsaw has also indicated that it could eventually obtain as many as 1,000 K2 MBTs, which could replace its aging fleet of German-made Leopard 2A4s and domestically built PT-91 Twardys, the latter being a variant of the Soviet-era T-72M1.
Even as Poland receives the South Korean tanks, it has exported the PT-91, with around 60 supplied to Ukraine, while another 48 of the PT-91M variant were sold to Malaysia. Those latter tanks rolled off the assembly line at Bumar-Łabędy.
Is the K2 Black Panther the Best Modern Tank in the World?
South Korea’s K2 Black Panther is already noted for being among the most advanced and capable MBTs in service today. It is armed with a 120mm L55 smoothbore main gun and equipped with a domestically designed automatic loader that ensures the loading of projectiles on the move, including when on uneven surfaces. The 120mm gun can fire approximately 10 to 15 rounds per minute.
The weapon can fire various munitions and is compatible with all standard NATO tank rounds. The 120mm L/55 gun can also fire the new KSTAM (Korean Smart Top-Attack Munition) rounds – smart target-activated fire-and-forget projectiles.
The K2PL variant is further equipped with additional armor, a 12.7mm remote-controlled weapon station, and other enhancements to improve NATO interoperability.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a thirty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image Credit: Shutterstock/Leszek Szelest.
