February 9, 2011:
Poland has increased orders for its new Rosomak ("Wolverine") wheeled armored vehicle. The Polish Army already has 350 Rosomaks, and some of them have been in Afghanistan for three years. About 130 are there, and more are on the way. Rosomak is a Polish version of the Finnish AMV (Armored Modular Vehicle). This is an 8x8 (or 6x6) wheeled vehicle weighing 16-26 tons, depending on configuration equipment (like armor, weapons or engine) added. In particular, the vehicle is built to accept several degrees of armor enhancements. Poland is the largest export customer for the AMV, and the vehicles are assembled in Poland, using a lot of Polish components.
The basic infantry version has a 30mm Bushmaster II autocannon in a turret, along with a 7.62mm machine-gun. This version has a crew of three and carries 8-12 passengers. The Rosomaks in Afghanistan tend to be on the heavy side because of increased use of armor. There are several models in Afghanistan (infantry carriers, ambulance, command and surveillance). The new surveillance models are equipped with an Israeli surveillance package. This includes a radar, thermal sensor, motion sensor and a small UAV. One of these vehicles can move to some high ground and detect activity over a wide area (out to ten kilometers, night or day and in any weather.)
The success of the Rosomak in Afghanistan has helped the Finnish manufacturer Patria find additional export customers for the original AMV vehicle.