Poland on Tuesday signed a potential $4.75 billion deal to buy 250 U.S.-made Abrams tanks as part of the Central European country’s initiative to reinforce its armed forces and deter potential Russian aggression on its eastern border.
The agreement includes the procurement of 26 M88A2 Hercules maintenance vehicles, 17 M1074 joint assault bridges, ammunition and a logistics and training package, including simulators, the Polish national defense ministry said Tuesday.
Mariusz Blaszczak, Poland’s national defense minister, said the European country expects the first 28 M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams tanks to be delivered in 2022 to support the training of Polish soldiers.
Poland expects tank deliveries to be completed in 2026.
Blaszczak said the Polish government first announced its decision to procure the tanks in July 2021 in support of its military modernization efforts. He noted that the government spent 2.34 percent of its gross domestic product on defense in 2021.
