Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1446249
170 mm at 60°, while maximum achievable values are 470 mm at 0°, and 220mm at 60°. Furthermore, the Polish military also possesses a minor quantity of "Ryś" APFSDS rounds - a derivative of the Israeli M711 ammu- nition. This ammunition can penetrate ca. 540 mm of RHA at 2,000 meters, at 0° angle. Other types of ammunition that may remain in stock include the 3WB- M16/3WBM16M HEAT rounds with 3BK18/3BK18M projectiles, capable of penetrating 534 mm of RHA (3BK18), or 580-590 mm of RHA (3BK18M). 3WOF HEF ammunition is also available, utilizing the 3OF19 projectiles. As it seems today, APFSDS and HEF rounds are only used now in the case of T-72 and PT-91 platforms, similarly as in the case of Leopard 2. The use of HEAT rounds is not that common. HSW, jointly with the WITU Military Institute of Armament Technology, launched a development program concerning a domestically developed bar- rel for the 2A46 guns. Works are also underway, aimed at developing new 125 mm APFSDS ammunition that is to capitalize on the experience gathered when developing ammunition for the 120 mm guns. One should also point to the potential problems arising around the mainte- nance of the existing MBT fleet. As we know, following the closure of the PZL Wola facility, Poland no longer manufactures the 780 HP W-46-6 engines for the T-72s. The same goes for the 850 HP S-12U version of that engine (for the PT-91), and the 1000 HP S-1000 engine - also suitable for the PT-91. The above does not exhaust the list of issues. The last of the brand new PT- 91 MBTs were rolled off the production line in 2009 - this refers to the Malay- sian PT-91Ms. That means that over the last 12 years, ZM Bumar-Łabędy did not manufacture a single, brand-new MBT. Despite the fact the facility still exists, it is difficult to assess the situation when it comes to the components supply chain. Does Poland manufacture, or possess a capacity to manufac- ture planetary gearboxes? What about the remaining components? Such as the TPD-K1 gunner's sight for PT-91/T-72 MBTs. The fact that T-72M1R would receive new PCT-72 sight with a KLW-1 Asteria thermal imaging system may be disregarded, when the primary, daytime sight/rangefinder remains obsolete. Back in 2019, a scandal grew around the ZM Bumar-Łabędy, as the media reported that spares for MBTs went missing from the warehouse. Not only should one ask whether we still manufacture and maintain the capacity to manufacture spares, but also whether we have a sufficient quantity of spares at hand, stored at the warehouses? Furthermore, initially, it was planned that 230 MBTs (optionally, extra 88 vehi- cles) would undergo overhauls and a basic modification. However, the num- ber in question went down to 204 examples, whereas this may partially stem from the fact that for some MBTs the work is performed at the WZM facility in Poznan, not at ZM Bumar-Łabędy. Another possible course of events is the emergence of circumstances in which fewer vehicles than expected could be overhauled. Another issue may stem from the potential shortage of spares. Similar problems could poten- tially occur in the case of the Leopard 2 MBTs. For some time now, rumors have been circulated that many components are no longer available for the Leopard 2A4 platforms (such as the EMES-15 sights, or WBG-X thermal im- aging systems. Poland manufactures around 30% of spares at a small scale - nonetheless, this refers to minor components, such as wiring, seals, and so on. The sit- uation would be even worse, given the fact that the Germans decided that their Leopard 2 upgrade program (2A7V/A7A1) would involve a complete replacement of the hulls, with numerous new components that would not necessarily be interchangeable with the legacy vehicles. This may lead to the emergence of a situation in which the spares supply for 2A6 and 2A5 variants would become finite. All of the above factors led to the emergence of an operational program aimed at the acquisition of new MBTs, also known as Wilk. Poland also re- cently announced the procurement of the M1A2SEPv3 MBTs. www.fragoutmag.com