Land Forces
More Abrams MBTs on Their Way To Poland
Photo. Sergeant Aleksander Perz / 18th Mechanized Division
Photographs depicting the shipping of further M1A1FEP Abrams main battle tanks for the Polish Army have been published via the X (former Twitter) social media platform.
These shots were taken in southern Norfolk around 2 weeks ago and they depict a transport of the last 47 out of 116 M1A1FEP (Firepower Enhancement Package) Abrams main battle tanks ordered in the United States, for the Polish Army. The Polish military currently operates 69 main battle tanks as such, within the 18th Mechanized Division.
Norfolk Southern train NS 9817 moves through Union, SC, with a large load of approx 47 Abrams tanks bound for Charleston. These tanks are the Poland M1A1 FEP variant that are about to be sent to Europe and handed over to the Polish Army.
— Ronkainen (@ronkainen7k15) June 9, 2024
(Thanks @KarlKristo) pic.twitter.com/Zc5c1SCPw0
The published imagery does confirm the statement made by Elżbieta Wawrzynkiewicz, President at WZM S.A. In an interview for Radio Poznan, she stated that she obtained information from her US colleagues, suggesting that the last batch of 47 M1A1FEP main battle tanks would be delivered to Poland in late June.
250 brand-new M1A2SEPv3 (System Enhancement Package Version 3) main battle tanks have been manufactured for a few months now, for the Polish Army. According to Wawrzynkiewicz, there is a chance that the first lot of the M1A2SEPv3s could be delivered by the end of 2025, even though the formal delivery timeline assumes these would be received in 2025, with the deliveries scheduled to last until late 2026.
The Polish Ministry of Defence placed an order concerning 336 Abrams MBTs in total, including M1A1FEP (116) and M1A2SEPv3 (250), plus 38 M88A2 ARVs, 25 M1110 Assault Bridges, and 25 M1150 Assault-Breecher Vehicles. The procurement of the US Armoured assets can be listed among the most convoluted, and the best-managed undertakings of the Polish MoD.