Poland goes big on K2 with new investment in Bumar-Labedy

‘Thank God for Poland,’ is a refrain you might hear amongst those focused on deterring Russia. The country’s enormous defence recapitalisation is one of the largest in Europe. To support delivery, the Polish Armaments Group has just invested $230 million in Bumar-Labedy. 

The Polish Armaments Group (Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa – PGZ) has announced a PLN 850 million ($233 million/£173 million) investment in armoured vehicles manufacturer Bumar-Labedy as the company gears up to produce the K2PL main battle tank. 

“Today, a new opportunity opens up for the company, primarily related to the production of K2 tanks. But the potential is much greater, which is why we have provided funds to recapitalize Bumar to increase and expand its production capabilities,” Adam Leszkiewicz, President of the Management Board of PGZ said in the October 6 press release. 

The investment is expected to modernise the company’s infrastructure and reduce its energy consumption, whilst also allowing for an increase in production output. The investment is expected to be completed by 2028, and is co-financed by Poland’s Capital Investment Fund. Production will primarily focus on the K2PL main battle tank, a Polish variant of South Korea’s Black Panther. A massive $6.5 billion contract was signed with Hyundai Rotem in August, covering “180 tanks and supporting vehicles, including 31 recovery vehicles, 25 engineering vehicles, and 25 supporting bridges, as well as a full logistics, service, and training package,” Bumar-Labedy said at the time. 

The K2PL will be equipped with the Trophy active protection system, a counter-drone capability, and additional armour. PGZ also hopes that the company will have the capacity to produce chassis for the Krab howitzer, which would help contribute to delivering the country’s rearmament plan. Under that plan, Poland could order as many as 1,000 K2s, which includes some already provided from South Korea, as well as 366 M1 Abrams from the US. Indirect fire orders include 600-odd K9 Thunder howitzers that join 200 already ordered, and 160 Krab 155 mm howitzers as well. All of this is accompanied by an order for 290 K239 Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers, and potentially up to 500 M142 HIMARS. All of these orders except the Abrams involve some element of domestic production, which means that Poland has to rapidly increase the capacity of its defence enterprises. 

Calibre comment: Thank God for Poland

Some see Poland’s ambitious modernisation as a reference model. It is certainly modernising at pace and procuring thousands of systems across all domains and types. This is a welcome development because it is clear that peer warfare, particularly with Russia, still causes extensive attrition more than anything else. However, equipment is only part of the battle, Poland must also ensure that its units are capable of deploying the equipment at the appropriate scale, likely meaning at the divisional level. This is a harder challenge in many ways, requiring focused work on the Army’s culture and approach to training. 

By Sam Cranny-Evans, published on October 7, 2025. The lead image was taken during the signing ceremony for the investment. Credit: Bumar-Labedy.