On February 28, 2023, on the territory of the Polish machine-building enterprise Huta Stalowa Wola SA (HSW) in the city of Stalowa Wola, in the presence of Polish Minister of National Defense Mariusz Blaszczak, a framework contract was signed for the supply to the Polish Army of almost 1400 promising Borsuk infantry fighting vehicles of Polish design and special armored vehicles based on them. The contract was signed between the Armaments Agency of the Ministry of National Defense of Poland and a consortium consisting of the Polish state defense industry association Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa SA (PGZ) and its constituent HSW (as the lead developer and manufacturer under the Borsuk program). The agreement defines the conditions for concluding specific executive contracts for the supply of new-generation Borsuk infantry fighting vehicles to the Polish army.
The second prototype of the Polish advanced infantry fighting vehicle Borsuk at the signing ceremony of the framework contract for the supply of these vehicles to the Polish Army. Stalova-Volya, 02/28/2023 (c) Jerzy Reszczynski / defence24.plAccording to the signed agreement, the Polish army will purchase more than 1,000 Borsuk infantry fighting vehicles and more than 300 different special armored vehicles made on their basis, that is, on the chassis of the "universal modular tracked platform" UMPG (Uniwersalnej Modułowej Platformie Gąsienicowej).
It is reported that the number of special vehicles being developed includes combat reconnaissance vehicles Żuk, command and staff vehicles Oset, sanitary evacuation vehicles Gotem, technical support vehicles Gekon, radiation, chemical and biological reconnaissance vehicles Ages and engineering armored personnel carriers Jodła. Deliveries of the first serial Borsuk infantry fighting vehicles are scheduled for 2024-2025. It is planned to supply 58 vehicles in the BMP variant in the first year of serial production (which corresponds to the set of a mechanized battalion), and from the second year - 116 BMP per year. In total, the framework contract should ensure the supply of 17 sets of mechanized battalions, plus a certain number of vehicles for training purposes, which should allow the BMP-1 vehicles to be completely replaced in the Polish army. The first Borsuk infantry fighting vehicles will be delivered to the units of the 16th Mechanized Division of the Polish Army. The total cost of this purchase program of almost 1400 units of equipment is tentatively estimated at "tens of billions of zlotys".
Recall that the promising Polish BMP Borsuk ("Badger") was developed under the head role of the company Huta Stalowa Wola (HSW) under the NPBWP program (Nowego Pływającego Bojowego Wozu Piechoty). The NPBWP program for the development of a new infantry fighting vehicle to replace the old Soviet BMP-1 in the Polish Army was launched by the Polish Ministry of National Defense in 2013. In October 2014, the Weapons Inspectorate signed a contract with HSW worth 75 million zlotys (about $ 21 million) for the full-scale development of the Borsuk BMP. The first mock-up prototype of Borsuk was manufactured in 2017 and later refined to a full-fledged prototype. Then, in 2020, the second full-fledged prototype of the Borsuk BMP was manufactured. Both prototypes are on an intensive testing program, which should last until mid-late 2023, and both were presented at the signing ceremony of the framework contract at HSW on February 28 (while the second prototype was shown publicly for the first time).
In April 2022, the Polish Ministry of National Defense issued HSW a contract for the manufacture of four more prototypes of the Borsuk BMP (three in the performance of a linear BMP, and one commander), which should be transferred for military testing in the 16th mechanized Division by mid-2023.
In its current form, the Borsuk BMP is a floating vehicle with a full combat weight of 28 tons, accommodating three crew members and six landing troops. The BMP has a steel body, a hydropneumatic suspension and is equipped with a 720 hp MTU 8V199TE20 diesel engine with an automatic Perkins X300 transmission, two water cannons are used for afloat movement. The speed on the highway is 65 km/h, the speed afloat is up to 8 km/h, the power reserve on the highway is 550 km.
The Borsuk BMP is equipped with the HSW-developed uninhabited ZSSW-30 combat module equipped with a 30 mm Northrop Grumman Bushmaster II Mk 44S automatic cannon (ammunition, according to various sources, 200 or 300 rounds), a paired 7.62mm UKM-2000C machine gun (ammunition 400 rounds) and two Rafael Spike-LR ATGM launchers. A 30 mm cannon must fire five types of projectiles, including programmable ones. A Polish-designed fire control system, duplicated around the clock, with a commander's panoramic sight PCO GOD-1 Iris and a gunner's sight PCO GOC-1 Nike. A circular viewing system with the help of television cameras is installed.
Speaking at the signing ceremony of the framework agreement on the purchase of Borsuk infantry fighting vehicles, Polish Minister of National Defense Mariusz Blaszczak also announced a program to create a heavier infantry fighting vehicle:
"I want to share with you another good news: yesterday the Technical Modernization Council approved a project that will also be entrusted to Huta Stalowa Wola, a project for the development and then preparation of production of an infantry fighting vehicle heavier than Borsuk. It will be an infantry fighting vehicle, which will consist of two main elements: the Krab chassis, which is manufactured here at HSW, under a Korean license, and a remotely controlled 30 mm combat module, which is designed not only for Borsuk, but also for this heavier version. This heavier version will be the main one for the 18th Mechanized Division, so it will interact with [tanks] Abrams, which this year will be equipped with the 1st Armored Brigade of the 18th Mechanized Division."
Thus, a promising heavier Polish IFV should be created on the chassis of the South Korean 155-mm/52 self-propelled howitzer K9 Thunder produced by HSW under license, used in the Polish Krab self-propelled howitzer. Apparently, this also means refusing to purchase the South Korean BMP AS21, which was considered as a candidate for the role of the Polish "heavy" BMP.
The signing ceremony of the framework contract for the supply of promising Polish infantry fighting vehicles Borsuk to the Polish Army. Both prototypes of the Borsuk BMP manufactured to date were presented at the ceremony. Stalova-Volya, 02/28/2023 (c) Jerzy Reszczynski / defence24.pl and the Ministry of National Defense of PolandVideo:
New official propaganda video of the Polish Ministry of National Defense about the main Polish procurement programs:
