Poland Speeds Up Armored Multi-Role Vehicle Procurement
Polish Ministry of Defence announced that it is in the process of getting ready to launch a multi-purpose vehicle procurement, with regards to platforms destined to be used by the special operations component. The procurement procedure in question is known under the name “Pegaz” (Pegasus). No information has been released so far, with regards to the potential delivery schedule. However, the programme is suffering from a significant delay. 3 years ago it was planned that the first vehicles would be received by the user in 2017.
Responding to our inquiries, the Press Department of the Polish Ministry of Defence announced that the Pegaz programme is currently at the stage of work that initiates the proceedings concerning the vehicle deliveries. The MoD suggested that one cannot speak of selection of the offer or delivery schedule as of now.
We would like to kindly inform that the “Pegaz” programme is at the stage of works that initiate the procedure of ordering the vehicles and that assessment of emergence of the Basic National Security Interest has been carried out for the task in question, namely, acquisition of multi-role vehicles for the Special Operations Component. At this stage the potential contractors are not being identified, thus selection of the offer, date of conclusion and delivery dates will be mentioned later, and we are going to announce these things in an ongoing manner.
However, the Ministry also added that assessment of emergence of the “Basic National Security Interest” circumstance has been carried out. Thus, it is possible that normal legal framework for public procurement is going to be excluded, entailing a requirement to establish specific capacity (manufacturing, maintenance, operational support) domestically.
According to the Polish Ministry of Defence it is still too early to mention specific agreement conclusion dates or delivery schedules. The Ministry also has not listed any specific offers considered within the framework of this programme.
The “Pegaz” Multi-role Vehicles procurement process is to result in introduction of armoured tactical 4×4 vehicles into the inventory of the Polish military. Earlier on it had been planned that Special Operations components and the Military Police would be the first to receive the new vehicles, with the Land Forces to follow. Pegaz vehicles shall become a part of the inventory used by recon units, and they shall also become a base platform for special-purpose applications.
Even though no information has been released by the MoD, when it comes to the offers placed within the framework of the Pegaz programme, several vehicles have been promoted for quite some time now, within the framework of this procurement.
These platforms include:
- KMW/Rheinmetall AMPV
- GDLS EAGLE V
- Thales HAWKEI
- HCP S.A./Tatra Defence Vehicles Husar
- AMZ Kutno Tur
Foreign contractors were proposing that manufacturing of the vehicles is transferred to Poland. Rosomak S.A. facility was being frequently mentioned among the entities listed as potential participants of the programme. The entity in question is now a part of the PGZ Group.
Introduction of multi-purpose vehicles into the inventory is expected both by the special forces, as well as by the remaining portion of the military. The role they may play in support units shall not be forgotten, once relevant decisions are made. This concerns the land component as well. For instance, some of the units of the Polish Land Forces still use the Tarpan Honker platform to transport the Spike-LR ATGM crews. Ukraine has developed a system of reconnaissance/strike drones based around the Polish Warmate and FlyEye UAVs - both types are being operated by the Polish forces. The UAV systems in question have been integrated with the locally manufactured Kozak (Cossack) AMPV.
Pegaz programme has been significantly delayed, when compared to the original plans. Back in March 2016, the spokesperson at the Armament Inspectorate, Małgorzata Ossolińska, announced that the deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2017. However, even today we have no knowledge on the expected date when the vehicles could be introduced into service. In early 2018 the Armament Inspectorate informed us that an option is considered, in case of which command vehicles procured within the scope of Homar procurement and Pegaz programme would be unified, as the requirements defined for these initiatives remain similar. However, back then the Homar programme procurement was being pursued as an adaptable acquisition involving a Polish consortium led by PGZ and working together with a foreign partner. Following a decision issued by the MoD in July 2018, the first of Homar squadrons is to be acquired directly from the Americans, within the framework of FMS.
Rapid launch of the Pegaz programme shall then be viewed as one of the priorities for the MoD. Obtaining of vehicles as such, in higher quantity, along with special-purpose variants, is in fact an indispensable element of the modernization process. The project may also become a chance for the Polish defence industry, considering the number of vehicles acquired. Back in 2016, 280 Pegaz vehicles were planned to be acquired for the Special Forces and for the Military Police (including 105 until 2022), along with several hundred examples for the Land component.