Polish Ministry of Defence is making plans to acquire tank destroyers based on a tracked chassis, armed with ATGMs. The new vehicles could potentially be received by the resuscitated 14th Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment, based in Suwałki.

The Armament Inspectorate is willing to carry out a technical dialogue, aimed at obtaining information pertaining to gaining a capability to act against armour and armoured vehicles with the use of tank destroyers.

The Armament Inspectorate suggests that it is willing to acquire a squadron-level module designed for a purpose of acting against armour and tanks of the latest generation, fitted with active protection systems, of both soft kill, as well as hard kill nature. According to the requirements of the MoD, the self-propelled tank destroyer should be able to act against the enemy vehicles with the use of ATGMs and it shall also be based on a modern, tracked platform.

The programme in question is probably a result of the analytical effort related to the Barakuda and Karabela projects, whereas the former one concerned a tank destroyer using missiles and guns, while the latter project pertained to a heavy ATGM. Now, it is probable that acquisition of a tracked-chassis tank destroyer with an ATGM launcher has been placed in the technical modernization plan. Otherwise, no grounds would exist to initiate a technical dialogue by the Armament Inspectorate.

Noteworthy, the Barakuda project still assumes that capability should be established to destroy main battle tanks and other vehicles using active protection systems. The above means that the new ATGM shall be capable to overcome such protection system, also in case of solutions that are designed to physically destroy the missiles.

Currently the Polish military operates a single type of a tank destroyer – the BRDM-2 vehicle fitted with the 9P133 Malyutka missile. These are operated by the 14th anti-armour artillery squadron based in Suwałki. The unit in question is to be reinforced, according to the Armed Forces Development Programme. No information has been released officially, as to what unit is going to receive the new systems. However, it is hard to imagine that the restored unit would receive the obsolete BRDM vehicles. It is plausible that the new platforms would be assigned to the 14th Regiment after all.

The dialogue is to concern assessment of parameters and specification of the equipment. Furthermore, it is to cover the conditions pertaining to logistics, security of the deliveries and training, estimation of the acquisition cost, operational costs and cost of withdrawal. Finally, the procedure would also concern the initial estimation of the procurement timeline.

The work is scheduled to happen between 15th April and 28th June this year. Proposals submission deadline has been set on 11th March 2019. The selected bidders would then receive the RFIs. “Due to the confidential profile of the requirements, involvement of the potential contractors, whose seat is located within the territory of the Republic of Poland, in the technical dialogue, shall be conditioned by submission of documents that would confirm their abilities to protect confidential information classified as <<Restricted>>” - the MoD notes. In case of the foreign companies, bilateral agreements are required.

(MR) (JP)