Take a look at Poland's fast-expanding military that aims to become Europe's 'largest land force'

Nathan RennoldsSep 10, 2023, 15:24 IST

An M1 Abrams tank.Daniel Brown/Insider

Poland is spending big on military hardware in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The Polish defense minister said it aims to build "the largest land force in Europe."

Poland is spending big on building up its military arsenal as it looks to bolster its defenses in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The Polish defense minister, Mariusz Moszkowski, has said that the NATO member wants to have Europe's largest land force — including doubling its defence forces to 300,000 personnel — to counter the threat posed by Russia.

"Our goal is to create such a strong Polish army that a possible aggressor would not dare to attack our homeland," he said during a press conference in May.

Here's a look at some of the key pieces of military hardware heading to Poland.

Forecasts show that Poland, which joined NATO in 1999, is due to spend 3.9% of its GDP on defense this year — almost double the NATO target of 2%.

Roman Baluk/Reuters

Only 11 member states are meeting that 2% target, Reuters reported.

National leaders pose for a group photo at the NATO summit in Vilnius on July 11, 2023.LUDOVIC MARIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Finland, Romania, Hungary, and Slovakia have all boosted their spending above 2%, highlighting rising security concerns in Europe.

US Army Green Berets with 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) and Finnish soldiers in Lapland in March.US Army/Staff Sgt. Anthony Bryant

Poland signed two deals worth $6 billion to buy about 350 M1 Abrams tanks from the US.

Nicolas Armer/Getty Images

The M1 is armed with a 120mm cannon, a .50 caliber machine gun, and a 7.62 mm machine gun.

Daniel Brown/Insider

The US State Department also approved Poland's $12 billion purchase of 96 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters.

Wojtek Radwanski/AFP/Getty Images

Apache helicopters are fitted with an M230 30-mm cannon, Hydra-70 2.75-inch rockets, and Hellfire missiles.

Getty Images

It's also spending $10 billion on 18 HIMARS launchers.

Serhii Mykhalchuk/Getty Images

HIMARS are long-range missile launchers with a range of just over 180 miles. They can carry six GMLRS rockets or one TACMS missile.

Reuters

Poland has also ordered 1,000 K2 Black Panther tanks from South Korea.

Reuters

The tank's main armament is a 120mm smoothbore gun, which can fire about 10 rounds a minute. It also has a Browning M2 .50 machine gun and a 7.62mm machine gun, per 19FortyFive.

Reuters

The tank's main armament is a 120mm smoothbore gun, which can fire about 10 rounds a minute. It also has a Browning M2 .50 machine gun and a 7.62mm machine gun, per 19FortyFive.

Poland also has nearly 700 K9 Howitzers.

Reuters

The 155mm self-propelled gun has a range of almost 25 miles.

Reuters

It's part of a deal that could be worth up to $14 billion for South Korea to send Poland artillery, tanks, and aircraft, including the FA-50 fighter jet.

A Philippine Air Force pilot walks by a FA-50 fighter jet during Philippine Air Force 70th anniversary events at Clark Air Base in Angeles city north of Manila on July 4, 2017.Romeo Ranoco/Reuters

The two-seater fighter jet can hit supersonic speeds. It's equipped with a 20mm three-barreled gun and can carry the AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air and the AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missiles.

Ted Aljibe/AFP/Getty Images

The two-seater fighter jet can hit supersonic speeds. It's equipped with a 20mm three-barreled gun and can carry the AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air and the AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missiles.

MIG-29 and FA-50 aircraft take part in a display to celebrate Polish Army Day in Warsaw in August. It was the biggest such event in years and was intended to send a message to Moscow about Poland's defense capabilities.

Dominika Zarzycka/Getty Images

MIG-29 and FA-50 aircraft take part in a display to celebrate Polish Army Day in Warsaw in August. It was the biggest such event in years and was intended to send a message to Moscow about Poland's defense capabilities.

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Take a look at Poland's fast-expanding military that aims to become Europe's 'largest land force'

Forecasts show that Poland, which joined NATO in 1999, is due to spend 3.9% of its GDP on defense this year — almost double the NATO target of 2%.

Only 11 member states are meeting that 2% target, Reuters reported.

Finland, Romania, Hungary, and Slovakia have all boosted their spending above 2%, highlighting rising security concerns in Europe.

Poland signed two deals worth $6 billion to buy about 350 M1 Abrams tanks from the US.

The M1 is armed with a 120mm cannon, a .50 caliber machine gun, and a 7.62 mm machine gun.

The US State Department also approved Poland's $12 billion purchase of 96 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters.

Apache helicopters are fitted with an M230 30-mm cannon, Hydra-70 2.75-inch rockets, and Hellfire missiles.

It's also spending $10 billion on 18 HIMARS launchers.

HIMARS are long-range missile launchers with a range of just over 180 miles. They can carry six GMLRS rockets or one TACMS missile.

Poland has also ordered 1,000 K2 Black Panther tanks from South Korea.

The tank's main armament is a 120mm smoothbore gun, which can fire about 10 rounds a minute. It also has a Browning M2 .50 machine gun and a 7.62mm machine gun, per 19FortyFive.

Poland also has nearly 700 K9 Howitzers.

The 155mm self-propelled gun has a range of almost 25 miles.

It's part of a deal that could be worth up to $14 billion for South Korea to send Poland artillery, tanks, and aircraft, including the FA-50 fighter jet.

The two-seater fighter jet can hit supersonic speeds. It's equipped with a 20mm three-barreled gun and can carry the AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air and the AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missiles.

MIG-29 and FA-50 aircraft take part in a display to celebrate Polish Army Day in Warsaw in August. It was the biggest such event in years and was intended to send a message to Moscow about Poland's defense capabilities.