Poland signs contract for 111 Borsuk combat vehicles
The Polish Ministry of National Defence signed an executive contract on Thursday for the procurement of the first 111 Borsuk (Badger) infantry fighting vehicles for the Polish Armed Forces, valued at PLN 6.5 billion (EUR 1.5 bln).
The contract concluded between the Armament Agency, the Polish Armaments Group and the defence contractor Huta Stalowa Wola covers 111 vehicles along with logistical and training packages, amounting to PLN 6.5 billion. Deliveries of the vehicles are set to commence this year and will extend through 2029.
Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said during the signing ceremony that the Borsuk was the first vehicle of its type to be fully designed and manufactured in Poland for the use of the Polish army. He expressed confidence that the vehicle would also be available in other versions, which could subsequently be sold to allies.
"We want to order more Borsuks, 111 is just the beginning," he declared while acknowledging the need to increase production capacity.
He described the signing of the deal as the "event of the decade, an unprecedented event."
Kosiniak-Kamysz added that the process of acquiring the Borsuks began in 2014 when the then Minister of Defence, now Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak, initiated research leading to the production of the vehicles. (PAP)
mj/jch
