Poland receives more M1A1 MBTs and M-ATVs

Poland's first company of 14 M1A1 tanks arriving at Szczecin on 28 June 2023. (Polish MND)

The Polish Armament Agency announced in a press release that a US shipment of 29 more M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks (MBTs) and 79 Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected (MRAP) All-Terrain Vehicles (M-ATVs) arrived at the Polish Port of Świnoujście on 6 January, followed two days later by the unloading of the vessel.

The delivery followed an earlier US shipment that also arrived at Świnoujście on 21 November 2023 with 26 M1A1s and nine M88A2 Hercules armoured recovery vehicles.

Poland received its first company of 14 M1A1s at the Port of Szczecin on 28 June 2023, in addition to three M88A2s.

Poland ordered 116 M1A1 tanks adapted to the requirements of the Polish Armed Forces on 4 January 2022. The procurement also includes 12 M88A2s; eight M1074 Joint Assault Bridges; six M577 command vehicles; 26 Next Generation Shop Equipment Contact Maintenance (NG SECM) workshops mounted on Humvees; and an ammunition, training, and logistics package.

This was followed by a contract in April 2022 for 250 M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams tanks, 26 M88A2s, and 17 M1074s, plus ammunition, logistics, and training packages, with deliveries planned to begin in 2024.

Under a separate agreement, the US Army transferred 28 M1A2 SEPv2 Abrams tanks to the Polish 18th Mechanised Division from US depots with instructors to train Polish crews at the Abrams Academy in 2022.