Poland has signed a new contract to acquire an additional 180 K2 main battle tanks from South Korea, with the deal marking the first delivery of tanks in the Polonized K2PL configuration.
The agreement, finalized on Aug. 1 at the Bumar-Łabędy plant in Gliwice, was signed by General Artur Kuptel, head of the Armaments Agency, and Yongbae Lee, president of Hyundai Rotem, the South Korean manufacturer of the tanks.
As reported by Interia Biznes, the signing ceremony was attended by Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back. Kosiniak-Kamysz called the moment “a great history unfolding before our eyes” and emphasized that the Polish arms industry is poised to become a key engine of the national economy.
“This contract means the development of the arms industry, new jobs, and opportunities. Today, the entire government and local government are committed to building security,” he said. He also praised the K2 tanks, citing strong reviews from Polish soldiers, and reaffirmed NATO’s expectation for Poland to build competencies in armored warfare. “Poland is fulfilling this task diligently,” he added.
The new contract includes a major technology transfer component, under which some of the K2PL tanks will be manufactured at the Bumar-Łabędy plant, marking Poland’s return to domestic tank production after a hiatus of more than a decade. The last tanks built there were PT-91s produced for Malaysia in 2009.
Adam Leszkiewicz, president of the Polish Armaments Group (PGZ), which oversees Bumar-Łabędy, described the event as historic. “The prospect is approaching when tank production will return to Poland and return to this place,” he said.
Beyond the 180 tanks, the deal includes dozens of support and engineering vehicles. The first units are expected to arrive in Poland next year. The Ministry of National Defense has previously stated that the value of the contract is approximately $6.7 billion.
This agreement follows an earlier deal signed in July 2022 under the previous Law and Justice (PiS) government, which provided for the initial delivery of 180 K2 tanks and a broader framework agreement for up to 1,000 units. Under that framework, the remaining 820 tanks are expected to be more heavily localized, with full production eventually shifting to Poland.
The urgency behind the 2022 deal was driven by Poland’s transfer of hundreds of Soviet-era T-72 tanks to Ukraine during its defense against Russia’s invasion.
