Poland has taken delivery of another shipment of US-made Abrams main battle tanks, further strengthening its armoured capabilities on NATO’s eastern flank. On 1 December, a fourth batch of M1A2 SEPv3 tanks arrived at a Polish port, where 32 vehicles were unloaded before being transferred to domestic defence facilities for preparation and integration into the armed forces.
This latest delivery is part of a 2022 contract under which Poland is acquiring a total of 250 M1A2 SEPv3 tanks from the United States. In parallel, Warsaw has already received a full complement of older M1A1 variants, procured on a fast-track basis as an interim capability boost after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. With the M1A1 fleet now complete, attention is shifting to the more advanced SEPv3 standard, which will form the backbone of Poland’s heavy armoured units in the coming years.
Announcing the arrival, Deputy Defence Minister Paweł Bejda confirmed that the 32 tanks are currently being unloaded at one of Poland’s seaports and will first undergo so-called “deprocessing” at facilities belonging to the state-owned defence group PGZ. This process covers detailed inspections, adaptation to Polish requirements, installation of national communications and battle management systems where needed, and final acceptance tests. Only after this technical and procedural phase is complete will the tanks be officially handed over to frontline units of the Polish Army.
The M1A2 SEPv3 (System Enhancement Package Version 3) represents the latest fully fielded iteration of the Abrams family. Designed to operate seamlessly alongside other US-origin equipment recently ordered or delivered to the Polish armed forces, it is optimised for networked, combined-arms operations. Poland is already flying F-16 fighters and has ordered fifth-generation F-35s, while also investing in Apache attack helicopters and a wide range of US-made artillery and air-defence systems. In this context, the Abrams SEPv3 gives Polish armoured brigades a tank that is fully compatible with NATO standards and modern American doctrine.
The tank retains the familiar 120 mm M256 smoothbore gun, capable of firing a broad spectrum of NATO-standard ammunition. Importantly, the SEPv3 configuration supports programmable munitions, allowing crews to tailor the effect of each round to the target—whether that is enemy armour, fortified positions or infantry in defilade. Enhanced fire-control systems, including advanced thermal imaging and improved sensors, increase first-round hit probability in day and night conditions and in poor visibility, crucial on a modern, sensor-saturated battlefield.
Beyond its main armament, the SEPv3 features an upgraded remotely operated weapons station, typically mounting a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun. This CROWS (Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station) module enables the crew to engage threats such as drones, light vehicles or enemy infantry without exposing themselves from the turret. It adds an extra layer of protection in urban and close-quarter scenarios, where tanks are particularly vulnerable to anti-tank weapons and loitering munitions.
Survivability has also been a central focus of the SEPv3 upgrade path. While details of armour composition remain classified, the latest Abrams variant incorporates refinements in both passive and active protection. Its weight and profile reflect an emphasis on shielding the crew from kinetic and chemical-energy threats, while modern battlefield electronics are hardened against jamming and cyber interference. For Poland, which borders both Russia and Belarus and has watched the evolution of high-intensity warfare in Ukraine, such features are not abstract technicalities but practical necessities.
The tank’s power comes from the Honeywell AGT1500C gas-turbine engine, producing around 1,500 horsepower. In the SEPv3 standard, this is complemented by an auxiliary power unit (APU) that allows the vehicle to run key onboard systems without keeping the main engine at full power. This reduces fuel consumption, cuts thermal and acoustic signatures and extends the life of the turbine—a significant advantage during prolonged deployments, static operations or covert observation tasks.
Strategically, the arrival of another 32 Abrams tanks is part of a broader transformation of Poland’s armoured forces. The country is phasing out legacy Soviet-designed platforms such as the T-72 and their domestically modernised derivatives, replacing them with a mix of US Abrams and South Korean K2 Black Panther tanks. This diversification, combined with large-scale purchases of modern artillery, air defence and rocket systems, is intended to give Poland one of the most capable land forces in Europe. The goal is not only national defence but also the ability to act as a key reinforcement hub for NATO allies across the eastern flank.
The steady pace of deliveries suggests that Warsaw is determined to keep its rearmament programme on track despite budgetary pressures and the logistical complexity of integrating multiple new systems at once. Training Polish crews, adapting doctrine and ensuring the supply chain for spare parts and ammunition will all be long-term tasks. Yet the presence of operational M1A1 units and the growing number of SEPv3 tanks on Polish soil means that these processes are already underway in parallel.
For now, the fourth batch of Abrams M1A2 SEPv3s underscores a simple point: Poland’s armoured modernisation is no longer a theoretical plan or a distant promise, but a tangible reality arriving shipload by shipload in its ports. As each group of tanks completes deprocessing and moves into service, the balance of heavy armour on NATO’s eastern frontier continues to shift, with implications that extend far beyond Poland’s borders.
