The Polish Defense Ministry signed a contract on Monday to modernise 128 Leopard tanks used by the Polish army.

The modernisation programme will start in 2018 and will mostly be conducted by Polish companies, although one of key partners in the deal is German defence-technology company Rheinmetall.

General Adam Duda, the head of the Polish military inspectorate said that the project is of essential strategic value for the Polish army and will significantly increase the tanks’ performance as well as the safety of Polish soldiers on the battlefield.

Besides the modernisation of the tanks, cooperation between partners is being tightened to ensure full functionality of the tanks and faster repairs in the future. (tf/rg)