According to information published by the Polish Ministry Of Defense on November 14, 2022, as part of a modernization of its armed forces, Poland has launched a program to replace its old BWP-1 tracked armored IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle). One of the contenders is the Borsuk, a Polish-made tracked IFV that carried out field tests on November 14, 2022.
Citing information from Mariusz Błaszczak, Polish Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Defense, the Borsuk IFV has been tested by the by the 15th Mechanized Brigade, as the successor of the Soviet-made BWP-1 IFVs (Infantry Fighting Vehicle), currently in service with the Polish army.
During his stay at the training ground in Orzysz, the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that as part of the equipment’s modernization process, “Borsuk” are to be the primary equipment of the 15th Mechanized Brigade, next to the order from South Korean K2 main battle tanks.
The Borsuk is the latest generation of Polish-made tracked armored IFV manufactured by a consortium led by Huta Stalowa Wola (HSW), a subsidiary of Polish Armaments Group (Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa, PGZ) also including Ośrodek Badawczo-Rozwojowy Urządzeń Mechanicznych OBRUM Sp. z o.o., Wojskowe Zakłady Motoryzacyjne S.A., ROSOMAK S.A., Wojskowe Zakłady Elektroniczne S.A., Akademia Sztuki Wojennej, Wojskowa Akademia Techniczna, Wojskowy Instytut Techniki Pancernej i Samochodowej and Politechnika Warszaws.
The development of the Borsuk by the Polish company HSW started in 2014 and the first version of the Borsuk IFV was unveiled in September 2017 during MSPO, International Defense Exhibition in Poland.