Oct. 31, 2013 - By JAROSLAW ADAMOWSKI – Defense News

WARSAW — The supervisory board of Polish Defence Holding (PHO), the country’s biggest defense manufacturer, has decided to oust its chief executive, Krzysztof Krystowski and one of his deputies, Agnieszka Rajczuk-Szczepanska, responsible for human resources.

“Marcin Idzik, deputy chief executive for sales and marketing, was appointed acting chief executive of Polish Defence Holding,” the group said in a statement Oct. 31.

The two remaining deputies, Mariusz Andrzejczak, deputy CEO for technology and development, and Patrycja Zielinska, deputy CEO for finance and auditing, are to remain on the group’s board, the statement said. The reasons for Krystowski’s dismissal were not disclosed.

The state-owned group was rebranded as PHO in May in a bid to facilitate the consolidation of Poland’s major defense industry players into one entity under its brand. However, in September, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced plans to create a new entity, the Polish Armaments Group, to integrate PHO along with other local defense players. The move has been widely seen as going against PHO’s plans of leading the industry consolidation efforts.

Krystowski was appointed the company’s chief executive in April 2012. PHO consists of about 40 entities and has a workforce of close to 10,000, according to data from the group.

An artist's rendering of a concept vehicle being developed by Obrum, part of the Polish Defence Holding group. The demonstrator will be unveiled at the upcoming MSPO exhibition in Poland next month. (Polish Defence Holding)

Aug. 28, 2013 - By ANDREW CHUTER – Defense News

LONDON — The BAE Systems-Polish Defence Holding’s team competing for an upcoming requirement from the Polish Army for a family of light tanks and infantry fighting vehicles has released a sneak preview of a concept demonstrator they plan to unveil at the upcoming MSPO defense equipment show.

The concept vehicle — developed by Obrum, part of the Polish Defence Holding group — features an unmanned turret sporting a 120mm gun mounted on a chassis, drawing heavily on CV90 mobility and protection technology provided by BAE’s Hagglunds operation in Sweden.

The vehicle will be a centerpiece of Polish Defence Holding’s stand at the MSPO exhibition, which opens in Keilce, Poland, on Sept 2.

BAE and the state-owned Polish Defence Holding, formerly known as the Bulmar Group, announced a teaming deal in late May to compete for a Polish Army requirement for hundreds of light tanks and infantry fighting vehicles using a universal tracked platform.

Formal specifications for the tracked vehicle requirement are expected to be released by the Polish Defense Ministry toward the end of the year, with a requirement for the first delivery sometime in 2018.

BAE officials said the modular design of the demonstrator is intended to be flexible and help stimulate debate as Poland heads toward issuing a formal specification.

Despite unexpected Polish government revenue shortfalls this year, which could result in some trimming of the defense budget spending on the military, funding remains robust with the portion of cash going to equipment increasing.