WDS 2026: Poland Reveals CBWP Ratel Heavy IFV for High-Threat Frontline Combat.

Huta Stalowa Wola has unveiled the CBWP Ratel Heavy Infantry Fighting Vehicle at World Defense Show 2026, presenting the tracked platform as Poland’s next-generation armored solution for mechanized forces. The vehicle reflects Warsaw’s push to strengthen frontline survivability and integrate heavy infantry units more closely with main battle tanks in high-intensity conflict scenarios.

At World Defense Show 2026, Poland’s Huta Stalowa Wola unveiled a scale model of the CBWP Ratel Heavy Infantry Fighting Vehicle, offering the clearest look yet at the tracked platform being developed under the supervision of Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa for the Polish Armed Forces. Company officials described the vehicle as a next-generation heavy IFV designed to operate alongside armored units in high-threat combat environments, reflecting Warsaw’s ongoing push to reinforce frontline survivability and combat power across its mechanized brigades.
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The CBWP Ratel is designed as a modern tracked combat platform for the contemporary battlefield(Picture source: Army Recognition)

The CBWP, or Ciężki Bojowy Wóz Piechoty, is currently one of the most closely monitored tracked combat vehicle programs for Poland. The Polish Armed Forces do not yet field a modern heavy IFV and continue to rely on a limited number of legacy BWP-1 vehicles while awaiting the introduction of the Borsuk amphibious Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV). The Borsuk, developed under the Nowy Bojowy Pływający Wóz Piechoty (NBPWP) program, is intended for mechanized formations requiring amphibious capability. In contrast, the CBWP Ratel is conceived as a heavier, more protected platform optimized for operations in environments characterized by dense anti-armor threats and concentrated firepower.

The project is carried out under PGZ supervision, with HSW responsible for the design of the vehicle’s key component, the heavy IFV chassis. The development draws on industrial experience gained from the Borsuk program as well as from the Polish-modified chassis used in the AHS Krab self-propelled gun howitzer. The AHS Krab integrates a tracked chassis adapted to Polish requirements and a 155 mm artillery system, and its operational deployment provides HSW with experience in heavy tracked vehicle integration, suspension architecture, and battlefield survivability.

The CBWP Ratel is designed as a modern tracked combat platform for the contemporary battlefield. Its primary role is to transport and protect infantry squads while providing direct fire support under conditions of high threat intensity. The tracked chassis, featuring seven pairs of road wheels and a modern suspension system, enables high tactical mobility across difficult terrain and allows the vehicle to operate alongside main battle tanks in heavy mechanized formations. The combination of tracked mobility and reinforced protection is intended to ensure sustained maneuver capability in contested environments.

In terms of protection, the platform is described as offering advanced ballistic and mine resistance in accordance with NATO Standardization Agreement 4569 (STANAG 4569). This standard defines levels of protection against kinetic energy projectiles, artillery fragments, and mine blasts. The design aims to exceed baseline requirements, providing protection for the crew and embarked troops in areas exposed to intense enemy fire. The interior layout accommodates a commander, a driver, and six to eight fully equipped soldiers. Ergonomics and safety considerations are integrated into the troop compartment, which is configured to support rapid deployment and dismount operations.

The primary armament of the CBWP Ratel is the ZSSW-30 remotely operated turret. This turret is equipped with a 30 mm cannon, with provisions for a 30/40 mm configuration, and an integrated Spike Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) launcher. The 30 mm cannon enables engagement of light armored vehicles, infantry positions, and low flying aerial threats at ranges typically exceeding 2,000 meters depending on ammunition. The Spike ATGM provides extended anti-armor capability, with engagement ranges that can exceed 4,000 meters depending on the missile variant, allowing the vehicle to counter heavily armored targets beyond cannon range. The turret incorporates advanced optoelectronic and targeting systems, supporting day and night operations as well as hunter-killer and killer-killer engagement modes, which permit simultaneous target acquisition and engagement cycles by the commander and gunner.

The CBWP Ratel can be fitted with an Active Protection System (APS), intended to intercept incoming anti-tank missiles and other guided threats before impact. The vehicle is also equipped with laser warning systems such as OBRA-3, which detect laser illumination from rangefinders or designators and provide early warning to the crew. In addition, the platform integrates a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) protection suite and a filter ventilation system, enabling operations in contaminated environments. Integration with Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) architectures allows the vehicle to exchange tactical data within networked formations, enhancing coordination and situational awareness.

On 14 August 2023, then Minister of National Defense Mariusz Błaszczak approved a framework agreement covering the acquisition and adaptation of up to 700 Heavy Infantry Fighting Vehicles. Initial deliveries had been planned to begin in 2025, although subsequent developments indicate that this schedule is not met. The scale of the framework agreement reflects the ambition to replace aging tracked infantry fighting vehicles and to establish a new heavy mechanized capability within the Polish Armed Forces.

HSW, as the constructor of the CBWP Ratel, operates as a central entity within PGZ and forms part of Poland’s broader effort to consolidate domestic armored vehicle production. By leveraging experience from the Borsuk program and the AHS Krab chassis, HSW positions itself as a national integrator of heavy tracked combat systems. The eventual proliferation of the CBWP Ratel will depend on contract finalization, production timelines, and export competitiveness in a global market where several states are modernizing or expanding their heavy IFV fleets. If implemented at the scale envisaged in the framework agreement, the program would represent one of the largest tracked infantry fighting vehicle acquisitions in Europe in recent years and would reinforce HSW’s role within the regional armored vehicle sector.