US, Poland sign agreement to open Abrams tank repair centre in Poznan

This is reported by Reuters.

The cooperation agreement was concluded during the Abrams Suppliers conference, organised jointly by General Dynamics and the Poznan company Wojskowy Zakłady Motoryzacyjne, part of the PGZ concern.

The Polish arms manufacturer Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa plans to open the centre, due to the fact that Warsaw plans to double the size of its army this year and increase defence spending to 4% of GDP.

"As a trustworthy partner for the army, we are responsible for supporting units in maintaining the efficiency of each type of equipment that is used by the Polish Army or is starting to be used," said PGZ CEO Sebastian Chwalek.

The news agency notes that last year, Poland signed a contract for the supply of 250 Abrams M1A2 SEPv3 tanks with related equipment, logistics and training packages. The first Abrams M1A2 SEPv3 tanks are due to arrive by the end of 2024, and all the equipment will be delivered by the end of 2026.

• On 21 April, during a meeting of theUkraine Defense Contact Group in the Ramstein format, Ukraine’s partners decided that training for Ukrainians to operate Abrams tanks would begin in Germany in early summer and last 10 weeks.

• US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that the United States would provide Ukraine with Abrams tanks in early autumn 2023.