News

Key meetings in Warsaw

On 20 June, the representative centre of the Ministry of National Defence in Warsaw, hosted Deputy Prime Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz who met with the Minister of Defence of South Korea, Shin Won-Sik. At the joint press conference, Deputy Prime Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz noted that the talks mainly concerned cooperation between the Polish and Korean arms industries and the pipeline for equipment purchases for the Polish Army.

Contracts for the supply of K2 tanks

Kosiniak-Kamysz announced that further contracts for Korean equipment will probably be signed during the September MSPO Expo.  - Discussions regarding the contracts financing are very close to the final stage - emphasized the Deputy Prime Minister. In particular, this concerns another executive contract for the supply of 180 K2 tanks;  now, the first contract for the supply of 180 machines is being implemented. The framework contract provides for the delivery of a total of 1,000 machines in the Polonized K2PL version to the Polish Army.

Production in Poland

The Deputy Prime Minister assured that K2 tanks would ultimately be produced in Poland, with the objective of building some of the tanks under the contract for September in Polish plants. - Minister Shin confirmed that the transfer of all information regarding technology transfer and the preparation of Polish arms plants for this project will take place immediately, without any delay - said Kosiniak-Kamysz.  The tanks are to be produced in several places in Poland, including Poznań plants.

Cooperation and technology development

Minister Shin emphasized the enhancement of Polish-Korean cooperation, noting that the equipment already delivered to Poland - K2 tanks, K9 gun howitzers and FA-50 light aircraft are becoming an essential part of the equipment of the Polish Army.  Shin declared the Korean side's readiness to implement the already concluded framework agreements for the supply of equipment to Poland and further cooperation in new projects.

New perspectives

The talks between the ministers also concerned NATO-South Korea cooperation;  the Deputy Prime Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz strongly supported NATO cooperation with South Korea. Additionally, Kosiniak-Kamysz provided the Korean minister with information on the situation on the Polish-Belarusian border, asking for support in the exchange of information and the latest technologies to protect the border in Korea.

Polish products for Korea

The deputy head of the Ministry of National Defence, Paweł Bejda, emphasised that cooperation with South Korea may include not only the import of Korean equipment to Poland, but also the export of Polish equipment to Korea. Bejda listed products that the Korean side might be interested in, such as passive radars, self-propelled Rak mortars, unmanned turrets for combat vehicles, and various types of drones. Therefore, the Korean delegation will be invited to the exhibition of Polish equipment at the military airport in Mińsk Mazowiecki.

MSPO - the key event

The September MSPO 2024 in Kielce plays a key role in finalizing these agreements. MSPO is not only a place to present the latest technologies, but also a platform for establishing and strengthening international partnerships.  Owing to MSPO, Poland stands the chance to significantly strengthen its defence potential through modern technologies and military equipment produced together with Korean partners.

 K2 tanks: the future of Polish defence

K2 tanks, also known as Black Panther, are considered one of the most technologically advanced tanks in the world;  equipped with a 120 mm smoothbore cannon, machine guns and modern target stabilization and tracking systems, they are a key element of Poland's future defence potential. Owing to technology transfer, Poland will not only gain modern equipment, but also develop its own production and technological capabilities.