Leopard repair in Labendy and Poznań
Last December, the 4th Regional Logistics Base from Wrocław awarded a contract to a consortium consisting of: Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa SA, Zakłady Mechaniczne Bumar-Łabędy SA and Wojskowe Zakłady Motoryzacyjne SA from Poznań to carry out F6 inspections of the chassis, turret and armament and restoration of full working condition 14 MBT Leopard 2A4 and two modifications of A5. For factories from Labenda, this is a prelude to the modernization of Polish Leopard 2s to the PL standard, and for factories in Poznan, the opportunity to expand their service competencies with the next version of the German tank.
This is also the first tangible result of the cooperation agreement between Zakłady Mechaniczne Bumar-Łabędy SA and Wojskowe Zakłady Motoryzacyjne SA in the field of F6 technical inspection and repair of Polish Leopard 2A4 and A5 tanks, which was concluded on December 28, 2015. when a contract was signed to upgrade the Polish Leopard 2A4 to the PL standard. According to its provisions, ZM Bumar-Łabędy SA will be responsible for the overhaul and repair of Leopard 2A4 tanks, and for its part, WZM SA will support the operation of tanks in the 2A5 variant, and will also become a leader in future modernization. tanks of this type. The Poznań plant will also inspect and repair the drive systems of all Polish Leopard 2 machines - A4/A5 and PL.
In the future, these two enterprises, owned by Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa SA, will provide comprehensive technical support for the operation of Polish Leopard 2 tanks of all modifications and vehicles based on them throughout their entire life cycle. Building a service and maintenance capacity is one of the most important goals set by the Ministry of National Defense for the Polish defense industry as part of the Leopard 2 modernization program, and the transfer of relevant technologies and know-how must be ensured. foreign partners.
The agreement with the 4th RBLog applies only to tanks transferred to Poland in 2014-2015 under an agreement signed on November 22, 2013 by the Polish and German defense ministers. The subject of the contract is to carry out technical inspections of the F6 (F6p) chassis, turret and armament of the tank (F6u) with the restoration of their full technical performance. It does not include the specific cost of the work, as it will be determined on the basis of checking the condition of each truck and an estimate of the necessary additional work and repairs, individually for each truck. The calculation will be submitted to the customer for approval and may be the subject of further negotiations. Therefore, the work will be carried out in two stages. At the first stage, the above-mentioned check of the technical condition will be carried out and the scope of necessary improvements, as well as additional work, will be determined. After approval by the Inspectorate of maintenance of the volume and estimate, the contractors proceed to the second, final stage, which includes bringing the car to full technical performance and conducting an F6 technical inspection. The term of the contract is November 30, 2016.
Mechanical plant Bumar-Labendy
In the case of ZM Bumar-Łabędy, this year's Leopard 2A4 maintenance work is a very important undertaking, representing an introduction to the beginning of the process of upgrading tanks to the Polish standard. In recent years, the plant in Labendy has already twice participated in the maintenance of Leopard 2 vehicles. In 2006, with the technical support of the German company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, inspections of the turret and weapon systems of 60 Polish tanks of this type were carried out after four years of operation. In 2012, they were KMW's subcontractor for the F6 contract to inspect 35 tanks of this type - in the end, however, work was completed on 17 vehicles. Therefore, to say that maintenance of Leopard 2 is a complete novelty for Łabęd is wrong. In the course of cooperation with KMW, among other things, many employees, a dozen of whom received certificates that give them the right to perform work during inspections at the F6 level. 16 of them are still working at the factories and are actively involved in the dismantling and verification work, closely related to the preparations for the start of the tank modernization process. Within its framework, by April 30, 2016, plants must receive the competence for servicing tanks at the F6 level (excluding the repair of power units), which will be obtained during the implementation of the contract concluded with the 4th RBLog. It is worth noting here that 64 Leopard 2A4 tanks should be delivered to Labendy to check their condition, carry out inspections and prepare for modernization.
