Frag Out! Magazine

TEXT: HENRYK SOLIŃSKI PHOTO: HSW, DAWID KAMIZELA, JAROSŁAW WOLSKI by: HSW S.A. (leader), WB Electronics (partner). The program's objec- tive was to develop the ZSSW-30 RCWS which was then to become the primary weapons system for the future IFV. During the upcoming years, the new generation IFV project was named Borsuk. It was evolving, and it was also being demonstrated during the MSPO, year by year. The pro- totype was demonstrated at the training range in June 2021, during the Dragon 21 FTX. Then it was made available for testing to the soldiers of the 15th Mechanized Brigade[ . Military parade during 2023 Polish Armed Forces Day, has become a public debut. Four prototypes were present- ed on the streets of Warsaw, manufactured based on an annex to the agreement signed by and between the consortium, and the NCBIR, back in April 2022. The increased number of prototypes is to accelerate the verification of design assumptions and expedite the training for future instructors, and the operational-military test program that would be tak- ing place in real-life conditions. Three of the prototypes would be born as a baseline IFV, while one would be configured as a C2 vehicle. . Later this year, all four would be received by the 16th Mechanized Division (most probably the 15th Mechanized Brigade), to conduct the so-called sys- temic environment tests. The test results would have an impact on the final manufacturing configuration. The fact that the war in Ukraine now drives Polish defense spending is also relevant here, along with the need to fill in the gaps in the Polish Army's inventory. The conclusion of a framework agreement on manufacturing and deliver- ies of almost 1,400 Borsuk vehicles, and specialized variants of that IFV for the Polish Armed Forces, has been an important milestone of the Borsuk New Amphibious IFV program. As the Head of the Polish MoD this is the biggest undertaking that has been pursued by the domestic defense industry for at least 50 years. The future executory orders may exceed (in value) several billion zlotys. Borsuk may also be an interesting export product, apart from meeting the domestic requirements. This be- comes evident after we have been experiencing increased levels of inter- est in the products offered by the Polish defense industry, once the war in Ukraine broke out. And that interest is global. HSW S.A., as a brand, has established a global footprint, thanks to its Krab self-propelled gun- howitzer. A NEW PREDATOR FROM HSW S.A. BORSUK IFV 13 www.fragoutmag.com ARMORED VEHICLES

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