Poland, Slovakia team up for ammunition, weapon purchases

WARSAW, Poland — Poland and Slovakia have signed a letter of intent to jointly produce ammunition and cooperate on the procurement of armored vehicles, tank, and air defense weapons.

Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Polish deputy prime minister and defense minister, and his Slovak counterpart, Robert Kaliňák, inked an agreement that effect during a meeting in Warsaw on Monday.

Under the first initiative covered by the document, Poland is to benefit from Slovakia’s know-how and technology for 155-millimeter artillery shell manufacturing. In late 2024, Warsaw decided to set up new fund of around PLN 3 billion ($759 million) to support investments by domestic and foreign players in ramping up the country’s ammunition manufacturing capacities, with a focus on 155 mm rounds.

The second project concerns joint production of an armored fighting vehicle based on the eight-wheel-drive Rosomak, which is made by Poland’s state-run defense group PGZ under a license from Finland’s Patria. The envisioned new vehicle is to be fitted with the Turra 30 remote controlled turret developed by Slovak company EVPÚ.

The third initiative relates to Poland’s offer to supply K2 Black Panther tanks, to be produced domestically under a license from South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem, to Slovakia. In July 2022, the Polish ministry signed a framework deal to acquire up to 1,000 K2s. Of those, 180 tanks to be made in South Korea are already on order, with an additional 820 vehicles in the K2PL variant possibly made by the Polish defense industry.

Slovakia is pursuing plans to acquire up to 104 new tanks. Last month, Kaliňák said the CV90120, a light tracked vehicle made by BAE Systems Hägglunds, is one of the considered options. Other vehicles considered by Bratislava are said to comprise new Leopard 2A8 tanks from Germany’s KNDS or used 2A4s, an older Leopard variant that would be upgraded by the Slovak defense industry.

The fourth project relates to Slovakia’s interest in purchasing the Piorun (Thunderbolt), a man-portable air defense weapon made by PGZ. The Ukrainian military’s extensive use of the weapon against Russian invaders has spurred the weapon’s exports to various European nations, but also to countries such as the United States, Japan, and Indonesia, according to its manufacturer.