Frag Out! Magazine

T he need to replace the BMP-1 IFV (known as BWP-1 in Poland) operated by the Polish Armed Forces has been evident for years. One may point out that the process had already begun before the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact when Poland procured the first lot of 62 BMP-2 vehicles. Unfortunately, in the early 1990s, the mod- ernization process in the Polish Armed Forces was not progressing well, which resulted in the sale of the non-prospective BMP-2s to Africa. This meant that the Polish soldiers had been left with the unupgraded BWP-1 platforms for years to come. The analysis of the requirements, accession to NATO, and the exhaus- tion of capacity to further maintain the BMP-1 fleet in good technical condition were all making the Polish defense industry try to get the decision-makers interested in the development and commissioning of a brand-new, tracked, domestically designed infantry fighting vehicle. The undertaking did receive proper endorsement and thus received financ- ing from the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBIR) in 2014. The model of the new generation IFV was first rolled out during the MSPO 2017 defense expo. Noteworthy, the companies involved in the program aimed at creating the aforesaid platform were also expressing high hopes, regarding another project that was launched almost simulta- neously - the ZSSW-30 RCWS program pursued based on a development study agreement signed in March 2013 by and between the Armament Agency (Armament Inspectorate at the time), and a consortium formed EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE STILL A COUPLE OF MONTHS AHEAD, BEFORE 2023 COMES TO AN END, THE CONCLUSION OF THE AGREEMENT ON THE MANUFACTURING AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE BORSUK IFV PLATFORM IS ONE OF THE KEY EVENTS FOR THE DOMESTIC DEFENSE INDUSTRY. HSW S.A. IS THE LEADER OF THE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT THAT IS COVERED BY THE AGREEMENT WITH THE NATIONAL CENTRE FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, WHILE THE REMAINING MEMBERS OF THE CONSORTIUM INCLUDE THE WZE S.A. [MILITARY ELECTRONIC WORKS], WZI S.A. [MILITARY ENGINEERING WORKS], WITPIS [MILITARY INSTITUTE OF ARMOURED AND AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY], MILITARY UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, WAR STUDIES UNIVERSITY, WARSAW UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, OBRUM SP. Z O.O., AND ROSOMAK S.A. SPONSORED ARTICLE 12 www.fragoutmag.com

• Cover