Brig. Gen. Grzegorz Porzuski, Head of P5 of the General Staff of the HR, said on 17 August Defence24 that the modernization of Rosomak is only adequate for now, and the precedence is the new, heavier KTO. For Poland, the stake is simple: the soldier is to last drones, mines and artillery, not to drive in equipment with a exhausted supply of modernization.
Rosomak stays, but not adequate for the future
The Polish army does not cut off from Rosomak. On the contrary, the transporter inactive matters and will be upgraded. But the latest message by Brig. Gen. Grzegorz Porzuski, Head of the Board of Planning and improvement of the Armed Forces P5 General Staff, sets the issue hard: modernization is simply a solution for now, and a new, heavier and better protected wheel armored transporter is needed in the long term.
As he stated Defence24 in Damian Ratka's material, work on defining and acquiring specified a platform is 1 of the priorities. It's an crucial signal. The Polish army cannot plan the future by sentiment for a successful construction from years ago. Military equipment is judged not by nostalgia, but by whether it protects people and allows them to win the fight.
Viability versus armor
Rosomak was designed with a request for buoyancy. This feature gave flexibility, but besides imposed mass limits. And mass in a combat car is not abstract. It's armor, mine shields, extra electronics, radio-electronic combat systems, active protection and drone protection. You can't add everything on 1 chassis base without end.
The experience of war in Ukraine shows a brutal lesson: the crew survives erstwhile the vehicle has resilient shields, good situational awareness and protection from unmanned workers. That's why Rosomak's upgrades, including the integration of the ZSSW-30, make sense, but they can't fake a full answer. DN late wrote that drone grids on the Rosomaks are a shield, but not a wonderful shield. The logic here is similar: half-measures buy time, but do not replace the fresh platform.
ZSSW-30 raises firepower
Modernisation of the current fleet gives a concrete effect. MON reported that the contract for 58 Rosomaków with ZSSW-30 towers is worth about PLN 2.6 billion, and deliveries are scheduled for 2026-2027. The tower strategy with Bushmaster Mk.44S cannon, the UKM-2000C firearm and Spike-LR launcher increases the capability of firing targets. This is the Polish direction in which we must go: industry, integration, improvement of our own competences.
Separately in December 2024, MON announced the deliveries of the Rosomaks-L. hotel said it was 80 vehicles in extended version with ZSSW-30, and implementation is foreseen for 2027-2028. Rosomak-L has more burden capacity, a fresh engine and improved protection. This is necessary, but inactive remains a improvement of the Rosomak family, not a consequence to all the requirements of the 1930s battlefield.
The fresh WHO is simply a test of state gravity
The fresh Wheel Armored Transporter program is so more crucial than the next acquisition of equipment. It is simply a test whether Poland can build a long series of vehicles, keep service, safe parts, train crews and incorporate home manufacture into a real value chain. If it ends with presentations and method dialogues, we lose time. And no 1 will give us time.
In a akin vein, there are announcements about drones and anti-drone systems for combat vehicles. DN described that The army wants tanks and combat infantry cars to see further than the enemy.. The fresh dense KTO must be designed from the beginning for specified an environment: sensors, connectivity, electronic immunity, active protection, mine protection and the anticipation of fast modernization. You can't build future equipment according to yesterday's habits.
National interest is clear
For Poles, this case comes down to the safety of the soldier and the reasonable spending of the taxpayer's money. If the state pays billions, it is expected to require a combat effect, not just further ceremonial pictures on the contract. We request a vehicle that will be manufactured, serviced and developed with the maximum participation of Polish plants. Otherwise, we will be a client of another people's technology, depending on the terms, consents and moods of our partners.
Rosomak deserved the Polish Army well. But the merits of 1 construction cannot block the decision to succeed. Poland needs a dense army, resistant and saturated with technology. It besides needs industry, which will not be an addition to a abroad contract, but a pillar of sovereignty. The fresh dense who should be 1 of specified projects.
Source: Defence24, Ministry of Defence: Rosomak-L, Ministry of Defence: ZSSW-30
Source: Defence24
