East Front News #26: Polish Presidency, Year 2024 in Africa and Middle East and Big Artillery Purchases for Poland

Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union

At the start of 2025, the Republic of Poland assumed the presidency of the Council of the EU. The official inauguration ceremony will take place on January 3 at the Grand Theatre-National Opera in Warsaw, with notable guests in attendance, including Antonio Costa, President of the European Council. The motto under which Warsaw begins its presidency is „Security, Europe!” Poland’s actions will be based on seven pillars of security: external, internal, informational, economic, energy, food, and health security.  

During its term, over 300 official and ministerial meetings will be held in Poland, including 22 informal councils involving EU ministers. Additionally, the agenda includes around 200 cultural events. Poland has engaged 3,000 officials in preparing for its presidency. Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka, Deputy Minister in the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, emphasized that Warsaw will aim to set the tone for future EU initiatives. Given the current geopolitical situation in Europe and globally – including the ongoing war in Ukraine and the change of leadership in the White House – Poland’s presidency, along with the EU itself, will play a critical role in ensuring regional security and fostering further development. Defence24 Group strongly supports Poland’s presidency and will be organizing Defence24Days on May 6-7, where the main pillars of cooperation within the EU will be discussed. Details about the conference: https://defence24days.com/

Western support for Ukraine at the end of 2024

The end of 2024 was marked, among other things, by reflection on the continued support for Ukraine after the Trump administration is about to return to the White House in 2025. In December last year (i.e. 2024), a number of European countries and the United States continued the trend of strengthening Ukraine’s defence capabilities. On December 23, the German federal government published an update of the list of weapons and military equipment transferred to Ukraine. The amended document included 15 Leopard 1A5 tanks, two Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, one PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzer, 30 MRAP armored vehicles, one IRIS-T SLM and one IRIS-T SLS air defence system, two Patriot launchers, 68 reconnaissance drones (30 Vector, 24 Heidrun, and 14 Hornet XR), as well as 52 thousand. pieces of 155 mm artillery ammunition, 120 mm and 105 mm tank rounds, 65 thousand 35 mm rounds for Gepard guns and AIM-9L/I Sidewinder air-to-air missiles. 

Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov announced on December 29 that €150 million transferred by Denmark (€111 million), Lithuania (€10 million) and France (€29 million) was earmarked for financing the Ukrainian arms industry. In the context of Paris, it is worth noting that the training of Ukrainian pilots in the operation of Mirage 2000-5F fighters, which will begin operating in Ukrainian skies in the near future, was completed at the end of 2024. 

One of Joe Biden’s last acts as US president was the announcement on 30 December of the transfer of military aid to Kyiv worth almost $2.5 billion. The package is to include HAWK air defence systems and missiles for previously sent anti-aircraft weapons (including Stinger launchers) and 155 mm and 105 mm artillery ammunition.

Krab Howitzers and Beyond. Record-breaking Contracts for Stalowa Wola

At the end of December several contracts were signed in Stalowa Wola for the supply of equipment to the Polish Armed Forces, including nearly one hundred Krab self-propelled howitzers in two versions. The total value of the contracts will exceed 17 billion PLN.

The first contract concerns the delivery of 96 Krab howitzers to the Polish Army for four battery fire modules, Regina. Each module consists of 24 howitzers. The first two modules, i.e., 48 howitzers, will be delivered in the existing configuration.

The subsequent Krabs will receive a range of modifications: a mechanized ammunition and charge supply system (autoloader), a new laser warning receiver system named C-Obra, and an active soft-kill protection system, the Rheinmetall ROSY solution. Additionally, the new variant of the Krab will feature a 360-degree observation system and a remotely controlled weapon station with a heavy WKM-Bm in 12.7 mm machine gun.

Along with the howitzers, accompanying support vehicles will also be supplied: command vehicles (WD), command-staff vehicles (WDSz) based on a light tracked chassis, artillery ammunition supply vehicles (AWA), and repair workshops for armament and electronics (AWRU) based on Jelcz trucks. The contract is valued at approximately 9 billion PLN, with deliveries expected to be completed by the end of 2029. The order also includes training and logistics packages.

Aerial Cover for the Homar-K System

Mini and micro-class unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), as well as drone-detecting ELINT systems, will provide protection for the Homar-K rocket artillery battalions. The nearly half-billion-zloty contract for the delivery of these systems was signed on Tuesday by the head of the Armaments Agency, Brigadier General Artur Kuptel, and the president of the WB Group, Piotr Wojciechowski.

The contract covers the acquisition of 12 sets of unmanned aerial systems and ELINT system for the fire support modules of the Homar-K battalions. The systems will be used for reconnaissance and air cover of the elements« area of operations. The total value of the order exceeds 499 million PLN gross, with deliveries scheduled between 2025 and 2028.

Polish Navy Acquires Rescue Ship, Based on PLN 1 bn. Contract

The Polish Navy will receive a specialized, multi-purpose vessel designed for, among other things, rescue operations related to submarines. The contract, valued at over one billion zlotys, is linked to the acquisition of new-generation submarines under the Orka programme.

An agreement between the Armaments Agency and a consortium consisting of Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa, PGZ Stocznia Wojenna, and OBR CTM was signed on Friday at the Naval Academy in Gdynia. The contract covers the acquisition of a rescue ship, codenamed Ratownik, along with a logistics support package. The value of the contract exceeds 1 billion zlotys gross. The vessel, which will join the 3rd Ships Flotilla, is expected to be delivered by 2029.

Africa and the Middle East - 2024 Summary

At the end of 2024, Defence24 traditionally reviews the most important events in Africa and the Middle East. These volatile regions once again found themselves at the center of global attention. Although it was not a peaceful year, a full-scale conflict involving NATO countries was avoided. Below, we present the 10 most significant events of the past 12 months. An in-depth report on the region with inputs of top Polish experts, can be accessed by clicking below.

Defence Budget as an element of civilian oversight over the military

The Polish Parliament (Sejm) has passed the national budget, which includes a record-high defence budget of PLN 124.3 billion. This milestone offers an excellent opportunity to discuss its significance for the country’s development and its armed forces. Crucially, it highlights the role of the budget process in exercising civilian democratic control over the military - as Lt. gen. (r) Andrzej Fałkowski, former Deputy Head of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, writes in for Defence24.pl.

Tytan radio system approved

Perad, the first Polish tactical radio with a domestically developed cryptographic module, created for the Polish Tytan future combat equipment set, has been approved by the Head of the Armament Agency. Brigadier General Artur Kuptel, Head of the Armament Agency, approved the decision that formally ends the qualification tests. This solution was developed by the companies of the WB Group as part of the “Tytan Advanced Individual Combat Equipment Set” research and development work.

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East Front News is a weekly newsletter and article on Defence24.com summarizing the past week’s most important events concerning security and the situation in the Central and Eastern Europe region. It includes original opinions and comments, along with key news items significant from a Polish perspective.

Aleksander Olech, PhD & Jakub Palowski, Deputy Ed. in Chief, Michał Górski