Prototype of Polish Heavy Infantry Fighting Vehicle Ratel to Be Ready by End of 2026

The first prototype of Poland’s heavy infantry fighting vehicle Ratel, with a combat weight of 42 tonnes, is expected to be ready by the end of 2026. The vehicle could serve as a successor to the Borsuk infantry fighting vehicle, which has only recently started entering service.

Defence24 reported on this.

According to the media outlet, the Ratel, developed using Huta Stalowa Wola’s own resources, is intended to reflect lessons learned from the war in Ukraine and to test the maturity of Poland’s defense industry in technological, organisational, and strategic terms.

Defence24 notes that “within less than a year,” the prototype should not only be unveiled but also prepared for mobility trials. The Ratel will use the already tested, serial-production turret shared with the Borsuk, which is expected to shorten the development cycle.

The project has already passed an important phase of basic research covering individual components, ballistics, and mine protection.

Although Huta Stalowa Wola has not officially confirmed this, preparations suggest that construction is already underway, given that testing is planned for the end of 2026.

Key characteristics of the Ratel heavy infantry fighting vehicle were presented at the MSPO 2025 defense exhibition in September 2025. The vehicle is designed to provide a high level of ballistic protection, including resistance to frontal fire from a 30 mm Bushmaster II cannon at 500 meters.

The combat weight will be 42 tonnes, with growth potential to 48 tonnes, providing margin for future upgrades and enhanced protection.

The new vehicle will share extensive commonality with the lighter Borsuk, particularly in the chassis. This includes a similar hydropneumatic suspension with seven road wheels, as well as a reinforced MTU 8V199 engine rated at 1,070 horsepower paired with either a German or US transmission (RENK or Allison).

The armament is also unified through the use of the ZSSW-30 remotely operated combat module, which is standard across Polish armored vehicles.

The heavy IFV is seen as a potential successor to the Borsuk, which has only just begun to enter service with the Polish armed forces. The first vehicles of this type were delivered in early December 2025.

The first 15 Borsuk vehicles were handed over to the 15th Giżycko Mechanized Brigade in early December 2025. Under an initial contract signed in March 2025, the Polish military ordered 111 vehicles worth PLN 6.57 billion ($1.67 billion).

Deliveries under the contract are scheduled for 2025-2029 and also include training and logistics support.

According to the defense ministry, the Polish armed forces require about 1,400 infantry fighting vehicles and related platforms. More than 1,000 of these are planned as IFVs, with around 400 allocated to specialized versions.