Huta Stalowa Wola Shows 40-Tonne Heavy IFV Demonstrator at MSPO, Prototypes 2027, Series 2029, No Order
Kielce, 8 September 2026
Key points
- Huta Stalowa Wola, part of PGZ, showed a full-scale demonstrator of a heavy infantry fighting vehicle (Ciężki Bojowy Wóz Piechoty, CBWP) on the first day of MSPO on 8 September: about 40 tonnes, some twelve tonnes heavier than the amphibious Borsuk, on a lengthened seven-roadwheel chassis that does not swim
- An MTU engine of 800 kW gives about 65 km/h and 500 km; the demonstrator carries an American transmission, with talks under way with Allison on licensed production at Stalowa Wola, and hydraulic suspension from Ponar Wadowice
- The demonstrator mounts the ZSSW-30 turret with a 30 mm gun and Spike missiles; a 40 mm turret and a 105 mm fire-support variant are foreseen, and the troop compartment comes in six- or eight-dismount versions because the Army has not fixed its requirement
- The work runs under the August 2023 framework between the Armaments Agency and the PGZ–HSW consortium; PGZ plans two prototypes in 2027 and series readiness in 2029, with no production contract; the name Ratel shown in 2025 was dropped over a trademark
Huta Stalowa Wola opened MSPO 2026 in Kielce on 8 September with a full-scale demonstrator of a 40-tonne heavy infantry fighting vehicle, a non-amphibious counterpart to the Borsuk it is already building, with two prototypes promised for 2027, series readiness for 2029 and no order behind it.
The vehicle adds a seventh roadwheel and about twelve tonnes to the Borsuk hull, trading the swim capability for protection of crew and dismounts, which PGZ names as the design's main aim. An MTU engine of 800 kW, over 1,000 hp, drives through an American transmission on the demonstrator; PGZ says it is negotiating with Allison Transmission for licensed production of the gearbox at Stalowa Wola, and Rzeczpospolita attributes the hydraulic suspension to Ponar Wadowice. The turret shown is the ZSSW-30 already fitted to Borsuk, with a 30 mm gun, programmable ammunition and Spike; PGZ foresees a 40 mm turret and a 105 mm gun variant for fire support, and offers a troop compartment for either six or eight dismounts. Non-European content is to stay below 35 per cent.
The programme sits under a framework agreement of August 2023 between the Armaments Agency and the PGZ–HSW consortium; there is no series contract and no stated price. Two prototypes are due in 2027 for state qualification trials and PGZ puts series readiness at 2029. The Ratel name used on the 2025 model has been withdrawn over a trademark conflict.
The demonstrator answers a requirement the Army has not yet written. Dismount count and gun calibre are both open, so the vehicle is an industrial offer shaped to fit whatever tender follows; WNP records 257 Borsuks on order for about PLN 14 billion through 2030, and that line occupies the same Stalowa Wola plant across the window in which a 2029 heavy-IFV series would have to start. Großwald reads the 2029 date as achievable only with a second assembly line funded before the prototypes finish trials, and would revise that if the Army's requirement arrives with the 2027 prototypes; Signal No. 141 carries the unveiling with the Homar-K sub-licence signed at the same show.
