TSAMTO, March 31. The Polish Ministry of Defense Armaments Agency announced on March 27 the signing of the first executive contract for the supply of new BORSUK tracked infantry fighting vehicles to the country's Armed Forces.
The agreement was concluded by the Arms Agency with a consortium consisting of companies Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa SA and Huta Stalowa Wola SA. It provides for the delivery of a batch of 111 new BORSUK infantry fighting vehicles. The value of the contract was about 6.57 billion. zloty (1.69 billion dollars). Deliveries are expected to be completed during 2025-2029. The contract also includes training and logistics packages, the development of technical documentation for mass production, acceptance testing programs and the conduct of these tests.
As stated, the BORSUK infantry fighting vehicle is the answer to the existing and future needs of the Ground Forces and will become the main armored vehicle of the Polish Armed Forces in the future. At the same time, the process of replacing the BWP-1 infantry fighting vehicles in service will require the intensification of the contractor's production facilities.
As reported by CAMTO, in February 2023, the Armaments Agency signed a framework agreement with a consortium of Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa SA and Huta Stalowa Wola SA to supply the Polish Armed Forces with up to 1,400 BORSUK infantry fighting vehicles and other special variants based on the UMPG universal modular tracked platform, including Zhuk reconnaissance vehicles, Oset control vehicles, sanitary Gotem vehicles, Gekon technical assistance vehicles, and Ares RCB reconnaissance vehicles.
The BORSUK infantry fighting vehicle is a variant of the universal modular tracked platform (UMPG), equipped with a remote-controlled ZSSW-30 turret-type weapon module. The crew consists of 3 people: the commander, the weapons operator and the driver. The vehicle is designed to transport 6 amphibious personnel to a combat area with an appropriate level of protection, as well as perform tasks related to supporting the unit's actions using airborne weapons. Using the installed weapons system, the infantry fighting vehicle can fight infantry, armored vehicles, aerial targets and other enemy targets in difficult weather conditions and at any time of the day.
The basic combat weight of the BORSUK is 28 tons. The machine is highly mobile, able to overcome obstacles, including water swimming, and can also be operated in various climatic conditions. The power of the Rolls-Royce V8 MTU 8V199 diesel engine is 720 hp. The maximum speed on paved roads is 65 km/h, while afloat is 8 km/h.
Developed by Huta Stalowa Wola S.A. in collaboration with WB Electronics S.A., the ZSSW-30 infantry fighting vehicle is equipped with a Bushmaster Mk.44S automatic cannon, which allows firing in automatic and semi-automatic modes using five types of ammunition, including programmable ones. A modified 7.62 mm UKM-2000C machine gun paired with a cannon can be used as an auxiliary weapon. The module is also armed with a two-seat launcher with Spike-LR anti-tank guided missiles (other ATGMs may be used).
It is estimated that the infantry fighting vehicle will be able to effectively interact with units equipped with MBT of the K2 line, including those in service with the 16th mechanized Division.
