Hyundai Rotem, a South Korean manufacturer of heavy military vehicles, is progressing with deliveries of K2 Black Panther main battle tanks to Poland. In August, several new tanks arrived in Poland and are set to enter service with the Polish Land Forces soon.
With this latest delivery, the number of K2 Black Panther tanks delivered to Poland has reached 51. In 2024 alone, the Polish Armed Forces have taken delivery of 23 new tanks from South Korea. According to the contract schedule, an additional 33 tanks are slated for delivery to Poland.
In August 2022, the Polish Defence Procurement Agency signed a contract with Hyundai Rotem for a total of 180 K2 tanks, valued at USD 3.4 billion. The Polish Ministry of National Defence decided to purchase these tanks to fill the capability gap left after donating a significant number of Soviet-era T-72 tanks to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
As reported by Defence Industry Europe, Poland intends to purchase more K2 main battle tanks. In 2022, Poland signed a framework agreement with Hyundai Rotem for a total of 1,000 tanks, including 180 K2 Black Panther/K2GF and 820 K2PL models. However, the contract for the remaining 820 tanks has not yet been finalised.
Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa and Hyundai Rotem Company signed an agreement to form a consortium aimed at jointly offering the Polish Armed Forces K2PL tanks and specialised vehicles based on their platform. Negotiations are currently ongoing regarding the contract for the first tranche of K2PL tanks.