Over the past few years, Poland has transformed its army from a post-Soviet structure into one of Europe’s most ambitious modernization programs. What began as an urgent catch-up effort has evolved into a full-scale industrial acceleration, backed by a defense budget approaching 4.7% of GDP in 2025, the highest ratio within NATO.
Behind the headline contracts with South Korea and the United States lies a deliberate strategy: to build a self-sustaining technological and logistical base capable of supporting prolonged, high-intensity operations on NATO’s eastern flank.
A ground force rebuilt at speed
At the heart of this transformation is a massive renewal of armored and artillery systems.
Poland’s armored brigades now field a mix of K2 Black Panther tanks, locally adapted into the K2PL configuration and American M1A1 Abrams, soon to be joined by M1A2 SEPv3 variants. These platforms, despite their different design philosophies, are being integrated under a common logistics framework to maintain operational coherence.
In parallel, Poland continues to expand production of K9A1 Thunder self-propelled howitzers and their domestic counterpart, the Krab, under extensive technology-transfer deals between Hanwha Defense and Huta Stalowa Wola (HSW).
But Warsaw is not merely buying foreign equipment, it is on shoring it. New facilities for 155 mm artillery shells, Homar-K rockets (the local version of the K239 Chunmoo), and mechanical components reflect a clear industrial doctrine: produce in Poland, for Poland, and for NATO.
Borsuk: a symbol of local design and maturity
A cornerstone of this modernization effort is the Borsuk infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), developed by HSW. Amphibious, modular, and equipped with the ZSSW-30 turret (30 mm cannon and Spike-LR ATGMs), Borsuk will replace the aging BWP-1 fleet. It represents the first fully indigenous IFV developed and industrialized in Poland in decades.
Around it, Warsaw is building a family of tracked platforms—including a heavier “CBWP” variant for mechanized units and upgraded Rosomak vehicles fitted with the same turret to simplify maintenance and logistics.
This approach aims to standardize components, sensors, and digital interfaces, creating a unified ecosystem rather than a patchwork of legacy vehicles. It’s a systemic vision typical of modern, networked armies.
Artillery and long-range fires
The modernization of Poland’s artillery corps is equally dynamic. Production of Krab howitzers is ramping up, over 30 systems delivered in 2025, with dozens more scheduled through 2027. The goal: equip every brigade with modern 155 mm firepower. Complementing them, Rak 120 mm self-propelled mortars provide rapid, automated fire support with integrated command-and-control modules.
Poland has also built a unique dual long-range rocket ecosystem: the Homar-A (based on the US HIMARS) and Homar-K (the Korean Chunmoo). In 2025, local production of CGR-080 precision rockets began, the first of its kind outside South Korea. Combined with the TOPAZ digital C2 suite, these systems create a sensor-to-shooter network capable of striking targets from 80 km to over 300 km.
It’s a capability that makes the Polish Army one of the most heavily armed land forces in Europe.
Layered air defense and the counter-drone imperative
For decades, ground-based air defense was the weak link in Poland’s force structure. That’s changing rapidly. The Narew program, centered on the CAMM missile family, forms the backbone of Poland’s short-range air-defense architecture. It will be complemented by Pilica+, a hybrid system combining guns, Bystra radars, and CAMM interceptors for very-short-range protection. Between 2025 and 2029, twenty-two Pilica+ batteries are set for delivery, significantly enhancing the shield over key military and infrastructure sites.
The September 2025 drone incursions from Russian territory served as a wake-up call. Warsaw has since accelerated procurement of low-cost counter-UAS systems, including WLKM 12.7 mm Gatling guns, electronic jammers, decoys, and electro-optical sensors. A joint Polish-Ukrainian initiative now focuses on shared lessons from drone warfare, particularly swarm defense and rapid targeting.
Rather than relying solely on expensive interceptors, Poland is building a layered, cost-effective air-defense architecture designed to absorb mass drone attacks.
WB group and the rise of a domestic drone ecosystem
Among Poland’s defense innovators, WB Group has become the driving force behind national C4ISR development. Its Warmate loitering-munition family, ranging from micro to tactical variants has expanded dramatically. In 2025, the Polish Ministry of Defense placed an order for around 10,000 units, the largest in Europe to date.
The group’s Gladius and FlyEye systems, already combat-proven in Ukraine, integrate ISR and precision-strike capabilities within a short sensor-to-shooter loop. Combined with WB’s TOPAZ battlefield management system and Perad-6010 soldier radios, these tools are pushing the Polish Army toward a fully network-centric doctrine, where intelligence, targeting, and effects merge in near real time.
The modern polish soldier: connected and protected
At the individual level, modernization is progressing just as fast. The MSBS Grot rifle, now in its A3 iteration, incorporates user feedback from airborne and territorial units, improving reliability and ergonomics. The VIS-100 pistol, new night-vision goggles, and the comprehensive “Szpej” equipment program (body armor, helmets, CBRN gear, optics) reflect a holistic soldier-as-a-system approach.
The aim is clear: increase lethality, survivability, and connectivity in a battlespace where information and reaction speed are as decisive as firepower.
The land force as a platform
By 2025, Poland’s ground forces are no longer in transition; they are emerging as a modular platform force. From next-generation IFVs and precision artillery to multi-layered air defense and indigenous drones, Warsaw is assembling the building blocks of a 21st-century land army: dense, reactive, industrially sustained, and digitally connected.
The challenge ahead is not procurement, it’s integration: aligning doctrine, logistics, and training while sustaining domestic production capacity. If Poland succeeds, it will not only reinforce NATO’s frontline but also redefine what European land warfare modernization looks like in an age of drone saturation and data-driven combat.
