At a ceremony in the southeastern city of Stalowa Wola earlier this month, Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz oversaw the handover of 15 Borsuk vehicles to the Polish Army's 15th Mechanized Brigade based in the northeastern town of Giżycko.
The batch is the first serial delivery under an initial contract for 111 vehicles.
A broader framework agreement with the state-owned Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) provides for around 1,400 Borsuks in several versions, including command, medical evacuation, chemical and biological reconnaissance, and technical support vehicles, to replace Soviet-era BWP-1 machines that have been in service for decades.
The Borsuk (Badger) was developed by a consortium led by Huta Stalowa Wola, a major armaments manufacturer, in a project started in 2014.
It is a 28-ton tracked fully amphibious infantry fighting vehicle, with a crew of three and space for six infantry soldiers.
The vehicle is fitted with a remotely operated ZSSW-30 turret that carries a 30 mm cannon, a 7.62 mm machine gun and a twin launcher for Spike anti-tank guided missiles, as well as modern optical and electronic systems to improve the crew’s awareness of the battlefield.
BWP The Borsuk infantry fighting vehicle is designed to replace the Soviet-era BWP-1 design that has been in service for decades. Photo: PAP/Jakub Borowski
Deliveries for the Polish army are expected to run for several years. The current contract is due to be completed by 2029, and each vehicle takes about two years to build from order to entry into service.
Domestic market comes first
Polish officials and industry representatives say that once the domestic demand is met, the Borsuk could become a significant export product for the country’s defence sector.
Defence Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz told the ceremony that he wants to turn the Borsuk into a showcase of Polish technology.
"I believe that 2026 should be the year of promoting the Borsuk around the world,” he said. “All our defence attachés and all our diplomatic posts will be obliged to present it and hold meetings with the armed forces of our allies and friends to whom we may want to supply it.”
According to military analyst Bartłomiej Kucharski from the specialist magazine Wojsko i Technika (Army and Technology), a number of countries have already asked about the new vehicle.
“Many states have inquired about the Borsuk, including Latvia, Slovakia and Austria. So far nothing has come of it, because deliveries to the Polish Army, which are only just beginning, have priority,” he said.
He added that exports would require a formal green light from the authorities and an increase in production capacity.
Kucharski pointed out that talks are already under way on a second round of production contracts, which should help speed up the assembly line for future vehicles.
Poland’s participation in the European Union’s new Security Action for Europe (SAFE) programme and the prospect of receiving tens of billions of euros for defence projects may create additional room to expand production of the Borsuk and related systems.
The SAFE instrument is designed to help EU member states finance major defence purchases and to support the European arms industry.
Ukraine, which continues to defend itself against Russia’s full-scale invasion, is seen as one of the most promising potential export markets.
"If financing is found, then certainly," Kucharski said when asked about possible Borsuk deliveries to Kyiv.
"Ukraine could also receive a slightly simplified version to reduce costs and potential technical problems linked to operating conditions," he added.
Active anti-drone defences
Ukrainian defence commentators say they are interested in the Polish design, but they stress that Kyiv’s priorities are shaped by the current phase of the war.
"In the first years of the full-scale war, infantry fighting vehicles were the backbone of mechanised operations, but now they operate farther from the front line because of the high risk of destruction by drones," journalist Oleksandr Yan from the Ukrainian military website Militarnyi said.
He noted that even if Borsuk purchases are not at the top of the list today, Ukraine has suffered heavy equipment losses that will have to be made up for in the future.
Yan argued that the key question is how to protect vehicles from unmanned aircraft.
"The issue of mechanisation in the army will return once the question of protecting vehicles against attacks by drones is solved," he said. That, he added, will require fitting the Borsuk and other vehicles such as tanks, armored personnel carriers, artillery systems and infantry units with effective anti-drone systems.
These would include active defences capable of destroying or neutralising hostile drones, for example with electronic warfare that jams their control signals, and not just additional passive armor.
Polish planners, like their counterparts in most NATO member states, are already working on active protection systems for armoured vehicles.
Military experts expect such systems to appear in large numbers on the battlefield within the next few years, as the dense use of drones becomes one of the main factors shaping the design of both offensive and defensive weapons.
Potential sales to Ukraine
For any potential Borsuk sales to Ukraine, competition is another challenge.
Kyiv has received offers of infantry fighting vehicles from Germany, in the form of the KF-41 Lynx, and from Sweden, with the CV90.
Around 50 CV90s, supplied as military aid, are already in Ukrainian combat use. For now, these are covered by letters of intent rather than final contracts, and it is not clear if or when a planned German-backed factory on Ukrainian soil will be built.
Polish experts say that uncertainty leaves some room for the Borsuk, especially if it proves itself in Polish service and if production can keep pace.
At the same time, they note that the Ukrainian market for armoured vehicles, even after a possible ceasefire, will be both attractive and highly demanding for any foreign supplier.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP