On August 14, 2023, Polish Minister of National Defense Mariusz Blaszczak approved a framework contract with a consortium including the Polish state defense industrial association Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa SA (PGZ) and the Rosomak SA plant, which is part of it, for the supply of about 400 light reconnaissance wheeled armored vehicles Lekki Pojazd Rozpoznawczy (LRP) to the Polish Army, representing a variant of South Korean light armored car Kia KLTV (4x4).
Project image of a promising Polish light reconnaissance wheeled armored vehicle Lekki Pojazd Rozpoznawczy (LRP), which is a variant of the South Korean light armored vehicle Kia KLTV (4x4) (c) Armament Agency of the Ministry of National Defense of Poland
The value of the contract is 1.2 billion zlotys with VAT (about $ 290 million), including the creation of a licensed production of these machines at the Polish Rosomak plant in Semyanovice-Slensk, and the provision of maintenance and repair services for these machines. The delivery of the ordered machines should be made from 2024 to 2030. The first batches of LRP (KLTV) machines must be delivered to Poland ready-made from the South Korean production line and undergo the necessary improvements and completions at the Rosomak SA plant. Then it is supposed to organize a large-node assembly of machines at this enterprise, and, finally, the transition to licensed production from the supplied machine kits with partial localization. In general, Polish plans extend to the purchase of 3,000 LRP (KLTV) machines in various variants.
The LPR should have a slightly modified armored hull compared to the base KLTV vehicle, a total combat weight of 5700 kg, and will be equipped with a 6-cylinder Hyundai D6EB turbocharged diesel engine with a capacity of 225 hp with an 8-speed Hyundai Powertech A8TR1 automatic transmission. The vehicle is designed to transport four equipped military personnel and must have a STANAG 4569 Level 1 ballistic protection level. The vehicles in the basic version will be equipped with a manually rotating platform with a shield cover for installing a 7.62 mm or 12.7mm machine gun or a 40 mm automatic grenade launcher.
The KLTV armored vehicle (export marketing designation Raycolt) was developed for the South Korean Kia Corporation (as part of the Hyundai Motor Company group) and has been mass-produced in several variants since 2016. To date, KLTV has already been delivered in small quantities for export to a number of countries, but the Polish contract will be the largest export agreement.
Also on August 14, 2023, Polish Minister of National Defense Mariusz Blaszczak approved a framework contract with the PGZ association for the development and supply of new Nowy Kołowy Transporter Opancerzony (NTKO) wheeled armored personnel carriers with the 8x8 wheel formula, designated Serwal, for the Polish Army. PGZ Group should create a special consortium to implement this project, probably with a foreign partner. Deliveries of "several hundred" cars should begin in 2028 and last until 2035. The contract also includes logistics and training.
The NTKO Serwal armored personnel carrier should be replaced in production for the Polish army by Rosomak SA armored personnel carriers (Patria AMV) currently manufactured at the Rosomak SA plant under license from the Finnish Patria group. The need to develop and manufacture a new machine is caused both by the expiration of the license agreement with Patria in 2027, and by the limited, according to the Polish military, modernization capabilities of the Rosomak platform (Patria AMV). Apparently, the development of NTKO will also be carried out with South Korean defense companies - possibly based on the K808 APC platform developed by Hyundai Rotem (as part of the Hyundai Motor Company group), mass-produced for the armed forces of South Korea since 2017.
