- Yes
- No
The BWP Borsuk (Polish: Badger) represents the latest chapter in Poland’s pursuit of a modern, fully amphibious infantry fighting vehicle. Its development began in the mid-2010s under the Polish Ministry of Defence’s initiative to finally replace the aging BWP-1 fleet — locally designated as the BMP-1 — inherited from the Warsaw Pact era. By this time, the BWP-1 was considered obsolete in terms of protection, mobility, and battlefield survivability. While it retained amphibious capability, which remained a key operational requirement, incremental modernizations were judged either too costly or insufficient to meet contemporary combat needs.
In 2014, the Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) officially launched the Borsuk program, designating it as a major modernization priority for Poland’s mechanized forces. The project was entrusted to Huta Stalowa Wola (HSW), a company already renowned for the Krab self-propelled howitzer and other domestic armored projects. From the start, the Borsuk was envisioned as a next-generation IFV that would combine modern firepower, high survivability, and modularity, while still being able to swim.
By the early 2020s, prototypes underwent extensive testing and trials, demonstrating the Borsuk’s amphibious abilities and mobility over challenging terrain. A major milestone came in February 2023, when a framework agreement was signed covering up to around 1,400 vehicles based on the Borsuk chassis. This was followed by the first executive production contract in March 2025 for an initial batch of 111 IFVs, marking the beginning of serial production and confirming the vehicle as the successor to Poland’s immortal BMP-1-derived fleet.
The most significant step in the program occurred on December 4, 2025, when the Polish Army officially received its first 15 production Borsuk vehicles from HSW. This delivery marked the vehicle’s entry into operational service and the start of large-scale fielding across mechanized units.
Armament
-
Remotely Controlled 30mm Turret System – ZSSW-30
- Horizontal rotation speed: 0.7 rad/s
- Vertical rotation speed: 0.7 rad/s
- At the moment there isn’t much information on the ZSSW-30, reliable information is hard to come by.
-
Mk44S Bushmaster II
- Elevation: -9° to +60°
- Two-plane stabilizer
- Fire rate: 200 rds/m standard 120rds/m for air burst
- Ammo capacity: Ready racked 200 rds
- Total ammunition capacity: 200?
- Ammo feeding: Dual feed
Ammunition
-
APFSDS (NM 225) (already in game)
-
FAPDS-T
- Projectile weight: 235 g
- Cartridge weight: 750 g
- Muzzle velocity: 1385 m/s
- Charge weigth: ~172 g (2654,32 gr)
- Dispersion: ≤ 0.4 mils at 1 000 m
- Penetration: 30 mm RHA 60° NATO at 1000 m
- Projectile weight: 235 g
-
MP-T/SD (NM 222)
- Projectile weight: 363 g
- Cartridge weight: 835 g
- Muzzle velocity: 1 070 m/s
- Charge weight: ~148 g (2283,95 gr)
- Maximum dispersion: < 0.4 mils at 1 000 m
- Penetration: 10 mm RHA 60° NATO at 1000 m
- Tracer: ≥ 4.6 s
- Self-destruction: Yes
- Projectile weight: 363 g
7,62 mm UKM-2000C
- Magazine capacity: 250 rounds
- Rate of fire: 700-900 rds/m
- Velocity: 850 m/s
- Range 1500 m
- Length: 1058 mm
- Barrel length: 521 mm
Spike-LR II
The ZSSW-30 carries x 2 Spike-LR2
And an additional 4 in storage.
Mobility
- Powerpack
- Engine: MTU 8V199 TE20
- power: 530 kW / ≈721 PS @ 2300 rpm
- Max torque: 2700 Nm
- Transmission:Allison 3040 MX
- Gears: 4 forward, 2 reverse
- Top Speed: 65 km/h (40.4 mph)
- Water: 8 km/h (5 mph)
- Neutral steering
- Engine: MTU 8V199 TE20
- Weight: 28000 kg
- Hydropneumatic suspension
- Amphibious
Armour
Exact armour specifications are still unknown, it is believed though that the Borsuk has STANAG 4569 level IV protection on the front the front and level III on the side.
Optics, electronics
- Gunner optic: GOC-1 NIKE
- Vertical guidance speed: 1 rad/s (≈57,3 deg/s)
- Two-plane stabilizer
- Thermal camera
- 3-rd generation
- Wide FOV: 10°
Narrow FOV: 3.1°
- Day camera
- Wide FOV: 10.7°
Narrow FOV: 3.3°
- Wide FOV: 10.7°
-
Commander optic: GOD-1 IRIS
- Horizontal/vertical guidance speed: 1 rad/s (≈57,3 deg/s)
- Two-plane stabilizer
- Thermal camera
- 3-rd generation
- Wide FOV: 10°
Narrow FOV: 3.1°
- Day camera
- Wide FOV: 10.7°
Narrow FOV: 3.3°
- Wide FOV: 10.7°
-
Videotracker
-
Laser rangefinderㅤ
-
Laser warning system: OBRA-3
- Detection angular range in vertical plane: -6°/+30°
- Detection angular range in horizontal plane: 360°
- Dange of detected radiation: 0.6 μm – 11 μm.
Pictures/Videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYUcC39N1-E
Sources
CRT Systems | Soucy Defense Division
https://web.archive.org/web/20251011143820/https://archiwum-iu.wp.mil.pl/userfiles/file/zamowienia_publiczne/2011/490/wp_IU_490.pdf
Armament
https://web.archive.org/web/20230406091452/https://www.hsw.pl/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/ZSSW_eng.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20230406091430/https://www.hsw.pl/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/borsuk_eng.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20200506003422/http://www.mesko.com.pl/materialy/info/produkty_pliki/87-pdf.pdf
https://www.fbcinc.com/source/Northrop_Resources/30_x_173mm_Full_Ammo_Suite.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20240627131314/https://www.zmt.tarnow.pl/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/UKM-2000C-ANG-2.pdf
30 mm x 173 Multipurpose Tracer /SD - Nammo | Nammo
Frag Out! Magazine - Frag Out! Magazine #34 PL?
dimensions, mobilty
Zespoły napędowe do NBPWP BORSUK | Wojskowe Zakłady Motoryzacyjne S.A.
Armor
Optics, electronics
https://web.archive.org/web/20210316110112/https://pcosa.com.pl/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/web_GOD1-1.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20180508130639/http://pcosa.com.pl/pliki_do_pobrania/produkty/web_GOC11.pdf
Huge credits to @PiekarzV2 for the help with gathering all the sources!
If you spot any mistakes/find new information, please let us know and provide valid sources, thank you for reading!
