The agreement has been signed in Gliwice, by and between the “Bumar-Łabędy” S.A. facility, being a part of the Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa S.A. [Polish Armament Group], and the German Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH company which is a part of the Rheinmetall Defence group. Bumar-Łabędy company was represented by the President of the Board, Adam Janiki, and Board Member, Zbignniew Siuśta. Ben Hudson, President of the Board, and Michael Andrzej Kara, Member of the Board, signed the document on behalf of the Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH company. The ceremony involved, among other officials, member of the board of the Polish Armament Group, Maciej Lew-Mirski.
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On the basis of the signed Agreement, Rheinmetall is going to create a modernization project. The German company will also prepare the technical documentation, along with a prototype of the modernized tank and the test lot vehicles. The Germans are also going to support the “Bumar-Łabędy” facility within the scope of technical solutions required to start series production. The required tools and know-how is expected to be provided within a period of 36 months. Value of the agreement has been estimated as ca. EUR 130 million.
Michael Andrzej Kara, representing the Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH company, informed that the Germans are willing to make the Bumar-Łabędy facility a strategic partner, when it comes to the area of the armoured recovery vehicles (ARV), based on the Leopard 2 chassis. This also concerns the potential collaboration regarding the recovery vehicles that would be procured by the third parties.
The Germans are additionally willing to expand collaboration with the Polish industry within other dimensions, including the option of manufacturing the Rheinmetall ammunition in Poland, or polonisation of the Oerlikon Millennium cannon, for land-based and naval applications.
Within the framework of the cooperation involving the Bumar-Łabędy facility, which has already begun, the press meeting featured a demonstration of the first Polish Leopard 2A4 tank which went through the F6 overhaul, in collaboration with the Rheinmetall company. Soon, we will present more details related to collaboration between Bumar-Labedy and Rheinmetall.