According to “Defense24” news site, the US Abrams MBTs have been proposed to Poland, within the framework of the Wilk new generation MBT programme. The US-made MBTs are just one of the proposals. This is what can be indirectly deduced from the replies provided to us by the Armament Inspectorate. US Army is one of the participants of the market analysis process. We may say with some degree of certainty that it has placed a bid with Abrams procurement using the FMS procedure.
Responding to our inquiry, spokesman for the Armament Inspectorate, Major Krzysztof Płatek, told us that the “analytical-conceptual phase for the task pertaining to the acquisition of the new generation MBTs, namely the WILK programme, has not been accomplished yet. (…) The analytical-conceptual phase covers a broad range of existing or prospective designs from all around the world”.
Płatek added that “talks carried out during the market analysis involved the following entities: Ośrodek Badawczo-Rozwojowy Urządzeń Mechanicznych „OBRUM” Sp. z o.o., Krauss-Maffei Wegmann Gmbh & Co. KG, represented by the WZM S.A. facility based in Poznań, Rheinmetall Defence, represented by Rheinmetall Defence Polska Sp. z o.o., Hyundai Rotem Co., represented by H.Cegielski Poznań S.A., the US Army, BAE Systems Hägglunds AB, and General Dynamics European Land Systems”.