Key Points and Summary – Poland has received a third tranche of M1 Abrams—38 tanks plus 14 M88A2 recovery vehicles—bringing deliveries to 85 of 250 M1A2 SEPv3s ordered in 2022, alongside 116 refurbished M1A1s. The buildup complements PT-91s, K2 Black Panthers, and Leopard 2s.
-The M1 Abrams shipment comes after over a dozen Russian drones crossed into Poland on Sept. 10, prompting NATO jets to scramble and Warsaw to invoke Article 4. Poland and Ukraine also announced a joint unmanned systems working group to accelerate drone development.
Marines with Bravo Company, 4th Tanks Battalion, fire the M1 Abrams tank during a live-fire exercise as part of Exercise Arrow 18 in Pohjankangas Training Area near Kankaanpaa, Finland, May 15, 2018. Exercise Arrow is an annual Finnish multi-national exercise with the purpose of training with mechanized infantry, artillery, and mortar field training skills in a live-fire exercise. This is the first year the Marine Corps is participating in this exercise and the first time the M1A1 Abrams tanks have been in Finland. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Marcin Platek/Released)
-Meanwhile, Ukraine fields a second Abrams unit; open-source tallies cite heavy losses in a drone-saturated battlespace.
Poland Receives M1 Abrams Tanks
Back in August of 2022, a few months after Russia invaded Ukraine and security along the borders of Russia and NATO became crucial, a deal was reached in which General Dynamics Land Systems agreed to provide 250 M1 Abrams Tanks to Poland under a $1.1 billion military sales order. Under the deal, General Dynamics received the order from the US Army. The tanks are scheduled for delivery by 2026.
“The M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams is the most advanced main battle tank in the world, and we look forward to getting it into the hands of Polish Soldiers,” Chris Brown, vice president of global strategy and international business development at General Dynamics Land Systems, said when the deal was announced.
The deal was later augmented by Poland’s purchase of 116 refurbished M1A1 tanks.
The first tranche of the tanks was delivered in January of this year, while the second arrived earlier this year. The third tranche, The Defense Post reported, was received by Poland this week. It consists of 38 tanks.
An M1A2 Abrams tank from 1st Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment, “Dragons,” 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas, pulls during Combined Resolve X at the Hohenfels Training Area, Germany, May 1, 2018. Exercise Combined Resolve X is a U.S. Army Europe exercise series held twice a year in southeastern Germany. The goal of Combined Resolve is to prepare forces in Europe to work together to promote stability and security in the region. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Andrew McNeil / 22nd Mobile Public Affairs)
The shipment also includes “14 M88A2 Hercules tactical recovery vehicles that will be used to evacuate damaged or disabled tanks from the battlefield,” Defense Post reported. The delivery brings the total delivered so far to 85, out of the 250 in the order.
Poland’s existing tanks include its own PT-91 tanks, along with South Korean K2 Black Panther, and German Leopard 2 tanks.
Ukraine Gets More M1 Abrams Tanks, Too
The War Zone reported in late August that Ukraine’s army is now operating a second unit of M1 Abrams tanks. The 425th Assault Regiment Skala has the tanks, joining the 47th Mechanized Brigade Magura. The Skala unit, per the report, is likely utilizing tanks donated by Australia.
Per the report, which cites the Oryx open source tracking group, the US has donated 31 Abrams tanks, of which at least 22 had been lost, as of late last month.
TWZ did note, however, that “the utility of tanks on the drone-saturated battlefields of Ukraine has been questionable, given how vulnerable those on both sides of the fight have been, especially to the highly maneuverable first-person view drones.”
An Uncertain Time For Poland
The latest tank shipment arrives as Poland has landed as part of an international incident. On September 10, over a dozen Russian drones crossed into Poland, as part of a barrage heading into Ukraine, leading NATO allies to scramble jets.
It was, per the New York Times, the first time in NATO’s 75-year history that alliance fighters engaged enemy targets in allied airspace, and led Poland to invoke Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty.
Following that incident, the AP reported on Thursday that Ukraine and Poland have formed a joint program to develop drones of their own.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal and Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysh announced the plans to create “a joint operational group on unmanned aircraft systems,” per Interfax, with the group including representatives of the militaries of both countries.
“We will integrate the latest defense technologies and initiate new projects that should strengthen the protection of our people and our critical infrastructure,” the Ukrainian defense minister said in their announcement.
Per the AP story, Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said on Thursday that there had been “increased activity of Belarusian and Russian drones which tried to cross into Polish airspace.” However, none of those actually made it across the border into Poland.
Also this week, per The Kyiv Independent, Poland announced that it was deporting a Ukrainian national for operating a drone without permission over Central Warsaw. The drone, which was shot down, “flew over several sensitive sites, including government buildings and the presidential residence, on the evening of September 15.”
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
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