First K2 Black Panther Tanks Under Second Contract Arrive in Poland

The first shipment of South Korean K2 Black Panther main battle tanks, ordered under a contract effective August 1, 2025, has arrived in Poland.

Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, the country’s Minister of National Defense, announced this.

The military received 28 K2 tanks, which will soon join the arsenal of the Polish Armed Forces’ 16th Pomeranian Mechanized Division.

This delivery marks the start of implementing the agreement, which includes supplying both base vehicles and a specially developed K2PL version.

In subsequent batches, Poland will receive the K2PL version, manufactured using components produced in Poland.

Poland’s large-scale rearmament of its armored forces with South Korean equipment began in the summer of 2022, when the two sides signed a framework agreement to purchase 980 K2 tanks.

The first firm contract was signed in August 2022 and called for the direct delivery of 180 K2 tanks in their basic configuration from South Korea.

Hyundai Rotem has fully completed the first contract by delivering all 180 vehicles to the Polish military.

The second agreement, signed on August 1, 2025, provides for the manufacture and delivery of the next batch of 180 K2 and K2PL tanks.

Under this second contract, some of the tanks will be manufactured directly in South Korea, while the K2PL versions will be produced at facilities within the Polish defense industry.

The K2 Black Panther tanks will replace the outdated Soviet T-72s and their Polish PT-91 Twardy upgrades in the 16th Mechanized Division, many of which were transferred to Ukraine.

The final F-35A Husarz fighter jet for the Polish Air Force has previously been completed in the U.S. Subsequent aircraft will be manufactured in Italy.