Poland ordered in total 366 Abrams tanks from the United States, with the first batch of 14 tanks arriving in the port city of Szczecin. “The first tanks are on Polish soil; it’s an important day for the Polish army,” said Poland’s Defence Minister Mariusz Baszczak, adding, “This year, we will have more tanks, and they will form a battalion of Abrams tanks.” The shipment is part of a $1.4 billion deal for 116 M1A1 Abrams tanks previously used by the United States Marine Corps.
Poland purchased another 250 Abrams in a more modern M1A2 Abrams SEPv3 variant last year, with delivery expected in late 2024. Poland, a NATO and E.U. member and a staunch ally of Ukraine, announced in January that it plans to spend four per cent of its gross domestic product on defence this year. Warsaw has signed multiple arms deals, including with the U.S. Republic of Korea and Turkiye, including K2 “Black Panther” tanks and K9 howitzers from ROK, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) Patriot air defence systems, and F-35A stealth fighters from the U.S. and Bayraktar armed UAVs from Türkiye.
