Poland`s Ministry of Defense is planning to reactivate its legacy T-72 main battle tanks, according to local media outlets. "The MoD is planning to issue several dozen of surplus T-72 MBTs to frontline units," the Rzecz Pospolita newspaper said, quoting several Polish military officials as saying.

Polish T-72 in action at Tankfest 2018, the spectacular exhibition of tanks and other armored vehicles ranging from World War 1 to present days taking place at the Tank Museum located at Bovington, UK (Picture source: Army Recognition)

"We are trying to meet the requirements of the Polish armed forces, and several dozen T-72 tanks, which were originally intended to be sold to Jordan, will be modernized and reactivated. The planned deliveries of the tanks to a North African state have also been ceased," Director of the Agency of Military Hardware (Agencjia Mienia Wojskowego. AMW) Krzysztof Falkowski told the daily.

The Polish MoD has already decided to shore up combat potential of the country`s eastern border and activate a new tank division (two tank brigades) there. "At present, we do not have other ability to equip the two brigades, which will be formed at an early date. The T-72 tanks can be modernized at the plants of the Bumar-Labedy company [a subsidiary of the PGZ (Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa) Group] in order to increase their combat potential and save funds," Wojciech Luczak, an armor expert told the Rzecz Pospolita.

According to the Military Balance 2018 analytical book published by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), the Polish military operated 458 T-72, T-72M1D and T-72M1 MBTs. Thus, the T-72 remains the backbone of Poland`s armor units