Poland is making efforts to bolster its defence and export industry.

Slovakia is interested in Poland’s version of the K2PL main battle tank (MBT) from Hyundai Rotem and the Piorun man-portable air defence system (MANPAD) from Polish-company Mesko.

The news came following a meeting on 24 February between Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, and his Slovakian counterpart, Robert Kaliňák, where they signed a letter of intent (LOI) to bolster defence cooperation.

Along with acquiring Polish kit, the ministers agreed to jointly produce equipment under the LOI.

This includes jointly increasing ammunition production, primarily for 155mm rounds, and jointly producing a wheeled armoured personnel carrier based on the Rosomak, outfitted with the Turra-30 turret system from Slovakian-company EVPÚ.

“Combining the potential of the Polish and Slovakian industries and selling such a vehicle to third-country markets is a topic we have been working on for a long time”, a Polish government press release stated.

Poland announced in 2022 that it would acquire 1,000 K2 tanks from South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem. A contract, valued at nearly USD3.4 billion, followed for the initial tranche of 180 K2GF MBTs, with deliveries expected to be completed this year.

Poland was expected to contract for another tranche of 180 K2PL MBTs, intended to be manufactured locally, in November. (K2PL is the Polish licensed version of the K2 tank). However, both countries have disputed over the specifics on what should be manufactured in Poland. The cost of the machine is also considered an issue, Polish media reports.