Rheinmetall has booked another major modernization order for heavy tanks.
Poland has just awarded the Düsseldorf-based Group a contract for overhauling 128 Leopard 2 MBTs.
In cooperation with Poland’s Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ) and ZM Bumar-Łabędy S.A., Rheinmetall will serve as a strategic partner, supplying crucial key capabilities, including electronics and weapon technology. The project represents roughly €220 million in sales volume for Rheinmetall.
During the course of modernization, the 128 Leopard 2 A4 main battle tanks purchased in 2002 by the Polish Army from surplus Bundeswehr stocks will be upgraded to Leopard 2 PL standard, which corresponds to the German Leopard 2 A5 and A6.
Following Canada and Indonesia, Poland is now the third Leopard user nation to turn to Rheinmetall as the technology partner of choice for a major modernization programme. Besides the Bundeswehr, the armed forces of 17 countries now have Leopard 2 tanks in their inventories.
Rheinmetall’s willingness to share technology and operate in tandem with local industry proved decisive in prompting the Polish government to select Rheinmetall as its strategic partner. For Poland, the contract will mean the creation of highly skilled jobs as well as obtaining valuable defence technology know-how.
On 28 December 2015, the Armament Inspectorate of the Polish armed forces awarded PGZ (as general contractor) and ZM Bumar-Łabędy S.A. (as integrator) a contract to upgrade the combat effectiveness of the Leopard 2 A4. Rheinmetall played a key role in preparing the upgrade package, having already established itself as a strategic partner by this point. Just signed, the contract lays out the details of Rheinmetall’s role in the modernization package.