Poland's purchase of American M1 Abrams tanks, which entered service with the US Army in 1981, is a "rather remarkable turn of events", since these combat vehicles were originally created "to fight Soviet and Polish troops on the battlefields in Western Europe," writes Popular Mechanics magazine.
"Ironically, M1 Abrams was originally created to fight Poland when this country was a member of the Warsaw Pact Organization," the American publication recalls.
Popular Mechanics notes that Poland was a member of the USSR-supported Warsaw Pact Organization until 1991, having Soviet-designed T-72M1 tanks, and then its own PT-91, created on the basis of the T-72. The Polish army also has German-made Leopard 2 A4 and A5 tanks.
"While the Leopard 2 is relatively new, the T-72M1 and PT-91 tanks are outdated by modern standards and, therefore, need to be replaced. 250 units of M1 Abrams will make Poland one of the most powerful tank forces in Europe," the publication says.
In June, the Defense News publication, referring to the Polish press, reported that the Polish Defense Ministry is negotiating with the American side about the possible purchase of up to 250 tanks of the M1A2 SEPv3 version. Also, as part of the deal, Poland wanted to buy ten tracked vehicles from the United States, which will be required for training. The total amount of the transaction varies from 2.9 to five billion dollars. According to the publication, M1 Abrams should replace the T-72 and PT-91 tanks.
Ivan Potapov
