On Friday, Poland organises the biggest parade in past on the occasion of the Polish Army, presenting the effects of unprecedented modernization of the armed forces. According to PAP, around 4000 soldiers representing all types of troops will participate in the parade, which is to emphasize the ongoing transformation of the Polish army for the 105th anniversary of the winning 1920 conflict of Warsaw.
The last fewer years have been a period of unprecedented increase in arms spending, especially after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Since 2020, contracts have been signed for military equipment worth hundreds of billions of dollars, any already serving in units of the Polish Army.
The Revolution of Armoured Forces
The hardware revolution can be addressed primarily in the area of armored forces, where Poland ordered over 700 modern tanks replacing the outdated russian T-72 and PT-91. About 300 of these machines have already reached Poland and service in armored units.
American M1A2 Abrams tanks in the latest version of SEPv3 will be presented at the parade for the first time. In the end, Poland will receive 366 Abrams, of which 250 in modern version and the remaining 116 in older version M1A1 will be upgraded to the highest standard.
Equally awesome are South Korean K2 Black Panther tanks, which are among the most modern machines in the planet and are equipped with an active defence strategy to counter rocket attacks. The contract for a full of 1000 K2 tanks in Poland has already delivered 151 units, and the first batch of 180 machines will end this year.
Artillery and rocket systems
Polish artillery undergoes equally profound modernization, with orders for hundreds of modern systems replacing russian equipment. The military will yet have about 200 Polish Krab cannons and 350 Korean K9 Thunder, of which almost 200 already service in units.
Modern rocket artillery, where Poland ordered nearly 300 South Korean K239 Chunmoo launchers, and plans to acquisition about 500 American HIMARS, is besides crucial. Only 20 HIMARS launchers have been ordered so far, but they are of crucial strategical importance.
Air force demonstration
The landslide will be preceded by a spectacular aviation parade with about 50 aircraft, including Polish and allied ones. Polish F-16, allied Rafales and F-35, and the FA-50 school-fighting ordered in South Korea will be presented.
Special attention will be paid to American AH-64 Apache assault helicopters, which Poland ordered 96 units last year. Although they are even older machines from the US for training purposes, they show the direction of modernization of Polish aviation.
The air will besides feature MQ-9 Reaper drones and Turkish TB2 Bayraktar, which proved their effectiveness in the Ukrainian conflict. Australian reconnaissance aircraft AWACS E-7A Wedgetail will supply mission support, as Poland inactive does not have adequate of its own early informing machines.
First sea parade
For the first time in history, a naval parade was besides organized in the Baltic waters of the Hel area, where about 20 Navy units will be presented. In the formation will sail the only submarine MW - the age-old ORP "Earl" and both ORP rocket fregates "Gen. K. Pulaski" and ORP "Gen. T. Kościuszko".
You will besides see the latest acquisitions of MW, the Kormoran II kind mine destroyers, 3 of which are presently in service. However, it will take respective years before the first of the 3 ordered frigates of the kind "The Sword" - ORP "The Wind" is to enter service in 2028.
Symbolism and Strategy
As the Chief of General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces stressed, General Wiesław Kukuła, the aim of the defilada is to show the ongoing transformation of the Polish armed forces. "We will present both the shield and the sword during the parade" - he said, adding that "this is full consistent with our strategy, which assumes the preparation of the state for defence".
The general besides pointed to deep-fire systems, which is typical deterrence, listing systems specified as F-16 aircraft and HIMARS rocket launchers and lobster-K, which will be seen during the parade. The date of 15 August has a peculiar historical importance - this is the 105th anniversary of the winning 1920 Warsaw Battle, which stopped the Bolshevik Revolution march on Western Europe.
Sources used: "PAP" Note: This article has been edited with the aid of Artificial Intelligence.
