On April 26, Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Mariusz Blaszczak met with employees of Zaklady Mechaniczne “Bumar” SA in Gliwice. The head of the Ministry of National Defense pointed out that one of the arguments for establishing a service center in Gliwice was the experience of the crew working at the Bumar-Labedy plant. Since the beginning of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, Poland has been among the most important countries supporting Ukraine, including through donations of military equipment. As mentioned during the conference in Gliwice, Poland made intensive efforts to establish a service and repair center for Leopard 2 main battle tanks (MBTs) in Poland. Poland also remains one of the most active donors of aid for Ukraine, both in terms of aid for the inhabitants, a training package for the Ukrainian armed forces, and supplies of various military equipment with an estimated value of over EUR 2.5 billion.
“We bring good news. Krab self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) will be produced in Bumar, Gliwice. (…) The security of Poland will also depend on the long-term potential of the Polish defense industry. Firstly, there will be production of Krabs, a transferred part of Krabs production, but also a service center and a repair center for Leopard tanks. There is great production potential in Silesia. Silesia is a pearl in the crown of Polish industry, and it must remain so, and so it will remain,” Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said.
“I worked hard to create a service and repair center for the entire family of Leopard 2 tanks here in Gliwice, in Bumar-?ab?dy. Last Friday, a meeting of defense ministers from countries supporting Ukraine was held in Ramstein. During this meeting, I signed an appropriate agreement with my German and Ukrainian counterparts, based on which the service center will start operating in May. Two battalions of Leopard 2 tanks, both versions 4 and 6, have arrived in Ukraine or will soon arrive. All these tanks will be serviced and repaired here in Gliwice. This is primarily the experience of the personnel. For 20 years, Bumaru-Labedy has been repairing, servicing, and modernizing Leopard 2 tanks. This is extremely valuable knowledge and extremely valuable skills. The second argument is that the service and repair center for all these tanks will be located in Poland, in a place that is a natural hub for such activities.,” said Deputy Prime Minister Mariusz Blaszczak in Gliwice.
During the meeting with the management and employees of the Gliwice plant, the head of the Ministry of National Defense thanked the representatives of Zaklady Bumar-Labedy, but also the Polish Armaments Group for the effort put into the process of preparing a service and repair center for Leopard 2 tanks in Poland. On April 21, Deputy Prime Minister Mariusz B?aszczak took part in a conference of support for Ukraine (Ukraine Defense Contact Group), attended by representatives of several dozen countries and chaired by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin. During the meeting, the heads of national defense of Poland, Germany, and Ukraine signed a letter of intent regarding the creation and operation of a hub where equipment that was transferred to Ukraine, including Leopard 2 tanks, will be repaired. For years, Poland has provided practical support to the Ukrainian armed forces. After Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, as an expression of solidarity, Poland provides free military aid. It also provided humanitarian aid to a large number of Ukrainian refugees who had fled the war to a very large extent.
