Poland is leveraging record defence spending and EU SAFE loans to shift from buyer to exporter of military equipment. A heavy tracked IFV demonstrator presented at MSPO highlights that ambition, with PGZ targeting a prototype next year and serial production by 2029. Poland has ordered 257 Borsuk light IFVs and could procure around 700 heavy IFVs for its army, even as it continues to buy major US systems.
Poland’s New Heavy IFV Demonstrator Underscores Push To Become Major Arms Exporter
Visitors look at armored vehicles on display at the MSPO defense show in Kielce, Poland, on Sept. 8, 2026. (Jaroslaw Adamowski/staff)
KIELCE, Poland — Poland is using record defence budgets and EU-backed financing to pivot from being mainly a buyer of foreign military equipment to a potential exporter, Deputy Prime Minister and National Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said at the MSPO defence fair.
Heavy IFV Demonstrator Signals Export Ambitions
The industry presented a technology demonstrator for a new heavy tracked infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) at the show as a possible export flagship. A PGZ representative described the vehicle as a modern platform weighing between 40 and 43 tons and designed to maximize troop protection. PGZ plans to reveal a prototype next year and aims for serial production in 2029.
EU SAFE Funding And Procurement: Kosiniak-Kamysz highlighted that under the European Union’s Security Action For Europe (SAFE) scheme Poland can access up to €43.7 billion in low‑interest loans to support military acquisitions. He noted Poland has reached roughly a 50/50 split between domestically produced purchases and imports, a shift he attributes in part to SAFE.
The domestic defence sector remains dominated by state-owned Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ), though a growing group of private firms is emerging. The heavy IFV would complement PGZ’s lighter tracked IFV, the Borsuk (Badger), which is already in production: the Ministry of National Defence has ordered 257 Borsuk vehicles so far and a 2023 framework agreement foresees up to 1,400 units across different variants.
Military planners estimate the Polish Army could acquire around 700 heavy IFVs, creating a substantial home market that could support an export effort. At the same time, Poland continues to purchase significant systems from the United States, including Abrams tanks, F-35 fighters, AH-64E Apache helicopters, Patriot missiles and M142 HIMARS rocket launchers.
Poland is becoming a country that not only buys military gear from the world, but is also its major producer — Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz
Industry analysts say turning demonstrators into competitive export products will require further investment, extensive testing, and proactive international marketing, but the combination of domestic demand and EU financing gives Poland stronger footing to compete in overseas markets.
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