045 12/2018 PL-01 CONCEPT

The PL-01 Concept is a modern, prototype tank (referred to as a direct support tank) of Polish production. The standard weight of the vehicle is to be 30 tons, and with additional armor panels it will increase to 35 tons. In the prototype, the drive is provided by a single 940 HP engine. The wagon is to be about 7 meters long, 3.8 meters wide and about 2.8 meters high. The basic armament will consist of a 105 or 120 mm cannon and a single 7.62 mm machine gun. In addition, the vehicle is to be fitted with a remotely controlled weapon module, including a machine gun and a 40 mm automatic grenade launcher. The PL-01 Concept was created in cooperation with the Polish OBRUM plant and the British defense concern BAE Systems, and the model of the vehicle was presented for the first time in 2013. It can be assumed that the vehicle was intended to be an element of Polish mechanized units and to provide the infantry transported in IFV with the most effective fire support, with the same firepower as in the MBTs, but with better performance and better maneuverability. It was also assumed high technological advancement of the structure, which was to include, inter alia, modern electronics, such as SKO and modular and multi-layer armor. Very modern thermal shields were also to be used, which would make detection by devices using infrared difficult. At the moment, the PL-01 Concept has not entered production, nor has it gone beyond the stage of a full-size mock-up and design.