There have been reports that the Warsaw Government considers acquisition of a licence for the German combat infantry car Lynx, manufactured by Rheinmetall. This is an alternate to the country's "Borsuk" combat car program. According to the government, Tusk is an urgent complement to the needs of the Polish Army.
The government wants to buy a BWP licence from Germany. At first glance, this can be considered a pragmatic solution – the army needs modern equipment quickly. However, erstwhile we look further, the question arises: is Poland giving up building its own industrial possible for purchases from abroad again
The "Borsuk" combat car program is 1 of the most crucial projects of Polish armaments in fresh decades. Work on it began in 2014, and their aim was to make a modern, national successor of the utilized russian BWP-1. Ultimately, the Polish army is to receive about 1,400 vehicles of this household along with various specialist versions. The first executive agreement includes 111 wagons to be sent to the Polish Army from 2025 to 2029.
This is so not a marginal task – it is simply a pillar of the modernization of land troops and a immense investment in the competence of the national defence industry. “Borsuk” is created in Poland, with the participation of Polish engineers and plants, especially Huta Stalowa Wola and companies of the Polish Armed Forces Group. Resigning the improvement of this construction line or its marginalisation would in practice mean wasting more than a decade of work and billions of PLN invested in Polish technologies.
Nevertheless, information on the anticipation of obtaining a licence for the German Lynx KF41 is increasingly available. specified a script was to be discussed, among others, during the defence fair in Kielce, where Rheinmetall presented his vehicle as an offer for the Polish dense BWP program.
Lynx is simply a construction heavier than Badger and offers a advanced level of protection, but inactive does not have extended combat experience. In practice, it is simply a product that is just looking for its place on the marketplace – and Poland could become 1 of its biggest customers. In this way, the scheme, known from fresh years, appears again: alternatively of developing its own projects, Poland would buy a licence from a western maker and become dependent on its technology and supply chains.
The problem is not that Poland cooperates with abroad partners. Cooperation in the defence sector is standard. The problem starts erstwhile cooperation means giving up their own competences. If Poland buys a German vehicle licence, the key technologies will stay in the hands of a abroad manufacturer, the Polish manufacture will become a subcontractor and the export profits, if any, will mostly go abroad.
Meanwhile, the native “Borsuk” has the possible to become an export product and a business card of the Polish armory. Already present there is talk of interest from respective countries. Our own construction is not just military equipment. This is besides the improvement of technologies, jobs and competences that can be concentrated in another projects in the future. That is why reports of the possible acquisition of the German Lynx are so controversial. They are part of the wider tendency of the current government – preferring abroad solutions alternatively of supporting national industry.
From a strategical point of view, this is simply a short-sighted approach. A country that wants to be a serious player in Europe must have its own capabilities to manufacture military equipment. safety cannot be built solely on licenses and imported technologies. If Poland starts replacing its projects with fresh purchases from abroad, in practice it will only become a marketplace for large arms companies – including German ones, and thus a European bantustan.
OUR COMMENTS: The discussion about Lynx and Badger is not just a dispute over the kind of vehicle for WP. This question is about the direction of improvement of the full Polish defence manufacture and abroad policy. The question is whether we are to be a German vassal and subcontractor, or a sovereign country with our own interests and ambitions. Unfortunately, everything indicates that the traitorous Tusk government has already chosen its option.
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