Ministry buys new mine-laying vehicles
Poland's defence minister on Wednesday signed purchase contracts for 24 Baobab-K scattered mine laying vehicles and a supply of mines.
Mariusz Błaszczak said after the signing in Stalowa Wola, south Poland, that the Polish-produced Baobabs and the mines will be delivered between this year and 2026.
Błaszczak said the purchase of the Baobab vehicles was a further step in modernising the Polish army.
"The Polish Armed Forces are gaining in strength because of increased recruitment and access to modern weaponry," Błaszczak said.
Sebastian Chwałek, CEO of the Polish Arms Group (PGZ), which manufactures the Baobabs, said the vehicles had raised some interest in other Nato armies.
Manufactured by a consortium of PGZ-grouped companies headed by the Stalowa Wola Steelmill, the two-man Baobab is designed to lay anti-tank minefields. The vehicle can carry 600 mines and has a laying speed of 5-25 kmh. It can lay minefields up to 1,800 metres long and 180 metres wide using a self-created digital map of the mined terrain.
