Poland wants to produce shells from depleted uranium for Abrams tanks
13 April, 2023 Abrams tank. Photo from open sources Poland seeks to expand the production of shells for Abrams tanks with armor-piercing cores made of depleted uranium.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki shared this during his visit to the USA, Polskie Radio 24 reports. The country also wants to create an enterprise that will service and repair Abrams tanks in Europe. During a visit to the Anniston Chemical Activity, involved in the production and repair of American ground combat vehicles, Morawiecki emphasized that currently, security is measured by the quality of military equipment and its availability.
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Wizyta premiera @MorawieckiM w zakladach ANAD Anniston Army Depot w #Anniston. ? Szef polskiego rzadu spotkal sie w Stanach Zjednoczonych Ameryki z przedstawicielami amerykanskiego przemyslu zbrojeniowego.
? Technologie, ktore sa opracowywane przez amerykanskie... pic.twitter.com/ZgMVDUvOWt -- Kancelaria Premiera (@PremierRP) April 12, 2023
He mentioned that he has confirmation that 14 Abrams tanks will be delivered to Poland no later than June.
They are necessary to replace the Soviet-era equipment that was transferred to Ukraine. In total, Poland ordered 250 of the state-of-the-art American M1A2 SEP V3 Abrams tanks and 116 Abrams M1A1 tanks, which were previously in service with the U.S. Armed Forces.
M1A1 Abrams for Poland, March 2023. Photo credits: Mariusz Blaszczak
The Polish Prime Minister also reported that he spoke with the US military leadership about the possibility of "deploying enterprises in Poland that will service and repair Abrams tanks in Europe." Mateusz Morawiecki shared that Poland also wants to set up the production of shells with depleted uranium cores for Abrams on its territory.
"However, we also want the production of ammunition cores for Abrams tanks, depleted uranium cores, the state-of-the-art ammunition, to be located in Poland," he said.
M829A4 armor-piercing tank round. Photo credits: U.S. Department of Defense
The standard armor-piercing subcaliber ammunition for Abrams tanks are shells that use an armor-piercing core made of depleted uranium.
The use of this metal in ammunition is associated with its properties, which provide a high armor-piercing effect and cause significant armor destruction.
LTESM-C logistics hub in Poland. April 2023. Photo credits: Ministry of Defense of Poland
Recently, a military logistics and equipment hub was opened in Poland.
It will receive thousands of units of military equipment. This is the largest infrastructure project funded by NATO and the United States over the last 30 years. The LTESM-C center was modeled after the U.S. bases.
The depots of the center will store tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, artillery, technical security vehicles, and self-propelled bridges.