Leopards from Ukraine already in Poland. They will be renovated by the "Bumar-Łabędy" plant

Mariusz Błaszczak, the Minister of National Defense, announced via Twitter that “the repair hub in Gliwice has started operating”. The first two Leopards from Ukraine have already arrived at the “Bumar-Łabędy” plant. Soon there will be more machines that will be repaired under the agreement concluded by the Polish and German defense ministers in April.

The aforementioned agreement, concluded during the meeting of NATO defense ministers in Ramstein, assumed the creation of a service center for tanks of the Leopard family on the premises of Zakłady Mechaniczne “Bumar-Łabędy”. In April this year Mariusz Błaszczak explained that “this is a chance for the development of the company in the future, it is a chance for more additional jobs to be created here, in Gliwice.”

Leopards from Ukraine will be repaired in “Bumarach-Łabędy”

We are finalizing industrial talks with German Leopard manufacturers – Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall – to clarify the issues of contracting and supplying parts, because spare parts are key to maintaining the efficiency of the equipment – said Sebastian Chwałek, President of the Polish Armaments Group, in an interview with PAP in May.

The latest information published on Twitter by the head of the Ministry of National Defense shows that such a center has already started its work and is servicing the first Ukrainian Leopards. It is also worth recalling that “Bumar-Łabędy” also repairs other tanks from Ukraine – T-64. A few months ago, Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa concluded an agreement with the Ukrainian concern Ukroboronprom, under which such actions are being undertaken.

Poland seems to be the right choice for repair facilities for tanks from Ukraine. The decisive role here is played primarily by the location and the ability to quickly transfer equipment requiring repair, as well as the ability to maintain armored equipment, which Zakłady Mechaniczne “Bumar-Łabędy” has been developing for many years.

It was “Bumar” that was the main contractor for the modernization of the Leopard 2A4 tanks purchased by Poland to the Leopard 2PL/M1 version. The company also dealt with repairs and modernization of such machines as: Leopard and PT-91 tanks, tanks from the T-72 family, and WZT-2 and WZT-3 Technical Security Vehicles.

This knowledge and experience will be useful when repairing Ukrainian Leopards, mainly 2A4 and 2A6 machines. The first of these machines are considered to be one of the best MBTs in the world. In addition, they are the first main battle tanks of the third generation, currently the standard armament of the armies of Western countries.

The 2A4 version used by the Ukrainians was produced at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s. It is the pinnacle of Cold War tank development. When designing it, the Germans used the knowledge and experience gained during the production of other tanks and armored vehicles. Later it turned out that it was a successful design that could be easily modernized.