Poland is set to purchase 116 used Abrams tanks from the United States, the first delivery of which will be made at the beginning of next year, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak confirmed.
According to the Radio Information Agency (IAR), an agreement has been reached between Poland and the United States for the vehicles, which are expected to help fill the gap from Poland handing over T-72 tanks to Ukraine, 240 of which have already been transferred to Kyiv.
In July of last year, it was announced that Poland was to purchase 250 new Abrams tanks. The agreement for that sale, worth $4.74 billion, was signed in April 2022.
The first new Abrams tanks have just been delivered to the Polish forces for training purposes, Błaszczak confirmed in a social media post on Monday.
The whole order is to be completed by 2026, with Poland expected to receive logistical support, training, and simulators as part of the whole package. Poland is still equipping itself with the additional 116 used vehicles in the interim.
The Abrams tank has been in service since 1980. In the two Gulf Wars of 1991 and 2003, it gained the reputation of being indestructible and remains a symbol of U.S. military and technical might.
The tank is produced by the General Dynamics corporation in Ohio and has been named after General Creighton Abrams, the commander of the U.S. forces in Vietnam.
