MOD chief signs purchase deal on 116 M1A1 Abrams tanks

On Wednesday (January 4), at the 1st Warsaw Armoured Brigade headquarters located in Warsaw's Wesoła district, Poland's MOD chief Mariusz Błaszczak sealed the deal on the delivery of 116 M1A1 Abrams tanks. The ceremony was also attended by, among others, U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Daniel Lawton and Inspector of the Land Forces General Maciej Jabłoński.

After signing the contract, Błaszczak said he was grateful that relations between Poland and the United States reached such an advanced level and brought tangible results in the form of 116 M1A1 Abrams tanks.

"We are strengthening the Polish Army, we are strengthening the armoured fist of the Polish Army, we are strengthening Polish Armed Forces in order to realistically and effectively deter an aggressor. One of the elements of this strengthening is to provide Polish Army with equipment that is the crucial argument in our entire deterrence policy. Abrams tanks are such an argument," he said.

The defence minister reminded that another deal had been signed last year regarding purchase of 250 Abrams tanks in the latest version by the Polish Army. "Those tanks will arrive here, I think, at the end of 2024, that is at the end of next year. The negotiations in this case are ongoing, but the tanks whose purchase I have confirmed today will be at the Polish Army's disposal already this year".

Minister Błaszczak also mentioned that the contract included a support package for the tanks. "We are negotiating a second deal regarding purchase of ammunition by the Polish Army, a state-of-the-art ammunition in large quantities. ... I can assure you that we are on the right path to swift finalisation of this second contract," he said.

"116 Abrams tanks, first ones already this year, we can say openly that a battalion of Abrams tanks will be at the Polish Army's disposal already this year," the minister added.

During the ceremony in Wesoła, U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Daniel Lawton said that the alliance between Poland and the United States had never been stronger. He praised Poland for its wisdom and resilience in the context of the war in Ukraine, as well as for helping Ukrainian refugees.

Lawton also emphasised that the purchase of 116 M1A1 tanks was not an ordinary commercial transaction, but a part of a pledge made by U.S. President Joe Biden.

On behalf of the American government, Lawton thanked Błaszczak and Poland for consistent efforts aimed at increasing NATO capabilites. He stressed the United States was very proud to have such a trustworthy ally and friend.