Polish Soldiers marked the start of their training on US-made Abrams main battle tanks at the Military Training Center in Poznan.
The training conducted by the American side as part of the so-called the Abrams Academy will take part by the end of 2022, a total of approximately 150 soldiers, including technical staff, instructors and crews who will later be users of the modern US-made tanks.
The M1A2 ABRAMS SEPv3 version purchased by Poland has specifications identical to the equipment used by the US armed forces. The tanks are equipped with state-of-the-art communication, vehicle positioning and combat management systems. The tanks will serve mainly in the 18th Mechanized Division.
Earlier this year, Poland’s Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak signed a contract for the purchase of 250 American M1A2 Abrams tanks in their latest configuration, along with accompanying equipment and a training package.
“I would like to emphasize that when we announced last year the purchase of 250 Abrams tanks for the needs of the Polish Army, we said that the process of preparation for the takeover of these tanks by the Polish Army would be very fast and we had the results of these actions. The course has started, the training has begun, which enables Polish soldiers and Polish technicians to quickly prepare to service Abrams tanks,” said Blaszczak.
He also noted that the goal is that the tanks, once equipped with the Polish Army, can be operated by trained soldiers, and it will happen next year.
“A year ago, we decided that Abrams would be used by the Polish Army. This year, training is already underway, next year there will be the first copies of the part of our contract that concerns filling the gaps in our defense capabilities, so soldiers of the Polish Army and technicians will be prepared to take over their duties for servicing Abrams tanks and thanks to this, Poland will be more secure, thanks to which all countries on the eastern flank of the North Atlantic Alliance will be more secure,” said the minister.
