Poland's purchase of American M1 Abrams tanks, which entered service with the US Army in 1981, is “a rather remarkable turn of events” since these combat vehicles were originally created “to fight Soviet and Polish troops on the battlefields in Western Europe,” writes Popular Mechanics magazine …
“Ironically, the M1 Abrams was originally created to fight Poland, when this country was a member of the Warsaw Pact,” recalls the American edition.
Popular Mechanics notes that Poland was part of the USSR-backed Warsaw Pact Organization until 1991, with Soviet-developed T-72M1 tanks, and then its own PT-91, created on the basis of the T-72. Also, the Polish army has German-made Leopard 2 A4 and A5 tanks.
“While the Leopard 2 are relatively new, the T-72M1 and PT-91 tanks are outdated by modern standards and therefore need to be replaced. 250 M1 Abrams will make Poland one of the most powerful armored forces in Europe, ”the publication says.
In June, Defense News, citing the Polish press, reported that the Polish Ministry of Defense was negotiating with the American side about the possible purchase of up to 250 tanks of the M1A2 SEPv3 version. Also, as part of the deal, Poland wanted to buy ten tracked vehicles from the United States, which will be required for training. The total amount of the deal ranges from $ 2.9 billion to $ 5 billion. According to the publication, the M1 Abrams should replace the T-72 and PT-91 tanks.
