Abrams training tanks already in Poland - Defence Minister

"Abrams tanks, which Polish soldiers will be trained on, are already in Poland. We will be ready when the first of the 250 state-of-the-art tanks we have ordered arrives. Poland will have a modern, powerful force to deter the aggressor in an emergency," the deputy prime minister wrote on Twitter on Monday.

As previously reported by the Radio Information Agency (IAR), the first deliveries of Abrams should start at the beginning of 2023. They will fill a gap in the country's military after Warsaw handed over its T-72 tanks to the Ukrainian army. As part of the deliveries, more than 240 modified vehicles were sent to Ukraine.

Poland has pledged to raise its defence spending to 3 percent of GDP and more than double the size of its army.

"We agreed a contract with the US concerning the purchase on preferential terms of 116 used Abrams tanks," Blaszczak told public broadcaster TVP Info last week, saying the deal would "significantly strengthen" Poland's defence capabilities.

Poland and the US signed a contract for the purchase of 250 new Abrams tanks in April.

Later in the day, Blaszczak said that seven Abrams tanks had already crossed Poland's border and more were expected to arrive in coming days.

"Seven tanks and two support vehicles have crossed the border today," Blaszczak told a press briefing.

The tanks, in their older version, will be used for training, which will start in August, before the contracted new tanks arrive in Poland.

"The users of those tanks have already been selected so the point is to start the training smoothly," Blaszczak said.

"These tanks will constitute a huge strengthening of armoured forces," the defence minister went on to say. "One can say that Poland will become an armoured power."

Ultimately, Abrams tanks will operate near Poland's eastern border "to deter an aggressor," Blaszczak said. (PAP)
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