Modernisation of Leopard 2A4 tanks to the Leopard 2PL standard
The programme to modernise Poland's Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks to the Leopard 2PL standard is a domestic industrial undertaking carried out by a consortium of Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa S.A. and Zakłady Mechaniczne Bumar-Łabędy S.A. in Gliwice, with the German company Rheinmetall Landsysteme as technology partner. The contract to modernise 128 Leopard 2A4 tanks was signed on 28 December 2015 for PLN 2.415 billion gross (with an option for a further 14 vehicles). The scope of modernisation includes new add-on armour, an upgraded gun and fire-control system, and new observation and sighting systems. Implementation of the programme has encountered numerous delays: it was originally planned for completion in 2016–2020, and the contract value rose through successive annexes (to PLN 2.721 billion after the 2018 annex, and further still according to later estimates). The Polish Armed Forces took delivery of the first pre-series vehicles on 28 May 2020; by April 2025, 82 tanks had been modernised, and the last contracted vehicles are due to reach the army by 2027. The modernisation is carried out at the Bumar-Łabędy plant in Gliwice (Silesian Voivodeship).
How it went
This record carries no outcome assessment on any of the four axes yet. The timeline and sources below show what is known about it; the assessment itself has not been made.
No source calls this a delay and the card makes no assessment here, but the dates recorded on this project differ by 7 years: originally 2020, currently 2027.
Timeline
- Construction start28 Dec 2015
- Original date2020
- Current date2027
Change history
- 28 May 2020stage: commissioning
- 28 Dec 2015status: in progressPodpisanie umowy na modernizację 128 czołgów Leopard 2A4 do standardu Leopard 2PL.
- 28 Dec 2015stage: construction
Significance
The modernisation of the Leopard 2A4 to the 2PL standard is the largest domestic main battle tank modernisation programme since 1989 and a key undertaking for rebuilding the competences of the Polish armoured-vehicle industry centred on Zakłady Mechaniczne Bumar-Łabędy in Gliwice. The programme was intended to maintain the combat value of the fleet of German Leopard 2A4 tanks on the contemporary battlefield and, through technology transfer from Rheinmetall, to develop the servicing and production capabilities of the domestic industrial base. Implementation, however, exposed the difficulties facing the Polish defence industry: the programme, originally planned for 2016–2020, has encountered years of delays, and its completion has been pushed back to 2027.
Sources 5 · 4 independent · 5 archived
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- Wikipedia (pl)StageStage history
Stage · Stage history28 maja 2020 roku Wojsko Polskie odebrało pierwsze egzemplarze pochodzące z partii przedseryjnej
- DziennikZbrojny.pl2018CostInvestor
CostWartość aneksu wynosi 305,8 mln PLN. W rezultacie łączny koszt brutto umowy podpisanej 28 grudnia 2015 roku wzrósł z 2,415 mld PLN do 2,721 mld PLN.
InvestorInspektorat Uzbrojenia podpisał 20 czerwca 2018 roku z Polską Grupą Zbrojeniową S.A. i Zakładami Mechanicznymi BUMAR-ŁABĘDY S.A. aneks nr 2 do umowy na modernizację 128 czołgów Leopard 2A4 do standardu Leopard 2PL.
- Forsal.pl28 Apr 2025StatusConstruction startOriginal dateCurrent date
StatusKontrakt będzie realizowany do 2027 roku. W ostatnich latach przekazaliśmy na rzecz Ukrainy 14 Leopardów 2A4, więc do zmodernizowania mamy łącznie 128 sztuk
Construction start28 grudnia 2015 roku podpisana została umowa na modernizację 128 czołgów Leopard 2A4 do standardu 2PL za kwotę 2,4 mld zł
Original dateLiczne problemy sprawiły jednak, że umowy nie zrealizowano, tak ja początkowo planowano a latach 2016-2020
Current dateostatnie zakontraktowane czołgi Leopard 2PL trafią do armii dopiero w 2027 roku
- Money.pl19 Dec 2025
- Funding
FundingW przypadku programu Leopard 2PL, podobnie jak w pozostałych dwóch, 25% wartości umowy zostanie pokrytych środkami z tegorocznego budżetu resortu obrony narodowej, co pozwoli zwiększyć wykorzystanie środków na rok 2015.