Commanders!
With February in full swing, we’d like to start telling you about an upcoming Battle Path called Shadow Protocol and its vehicles, the first of which to be unveiled will be the Borsuk Armored Fighting Vehicle.
Borsuk IFV, 2022
The Shadow Protocol Battle Path has two themes – the main one is mercenaries and their history. The second one is the past, the present and the future of warfare with Borsuk representing the contemporary vehicles.
But, as usual, a bit of history first.
The Borsuk (“badger”) is a brand-new Polish Infantry Fighting Vehicle, designed to replace the now utterly obsolete BWP-1 (Polish version of the BMP-1) from the 1970s with earlier attempts to produce a universal platform (such as the Anders) or upgrading it (the Puma program) falling short.
Towards the end of 2014, the Poles launched another project to modernize their IFVs. The first public information about the new IFV was unveiled in 2016 and included two important pieces of info – the turret was supposed to be unmanned and capable of launching Spike ATGMs.
Borsuk demonstrator, 2017
The vehicle was also supposed to be amphibious – an important requirement for the Polish military, as Poland is a country full of rivers. Initially, two versions were envisaged – a light one (25 tons, amphibious) and a heavy one (40 tons, not amphibious). The idea was to produce at least 1000 vehicles in order to completely replace the BWP-1. Initially, it was also considered to co-develop (and co-finance) the vehicle with the Czech Republic, but that plan collapsed very quickly.
A technological proof of concept was exhibited in Kielce during the MSPO 2017 expo. From there, refinements were made, and the chassis was mated with a remote-controlled (unmanned) ZSSW-30 turret (armed with Spikes and 30mm Mk.44S autocannon with -9/+60 depression and elevation and 120 RPM rate of fire). It also gained additional armor and new tracks. This more advanced Borsuk prototype was displayed a year later, again during the MSPO expo.
Borsuk IFV, 2023
At that point, the Borsuk requirements for “heavy” and “light” variants merged into a single 25 ton amphibious vehicle (although additional modular armor is also supported, increasing the weight to 28 tons). The vehicle was powered by a MTU engine producing some 720hp.
Further work on the design included various modifications based on initial testing feedback such as changing how the splash board works, and the locations of cameras. The final version of the prototype was wheeled out in 2019. Military trials then followed and were completed in 2022 with additional four prototypes being manufactured during this time (bringing the total to five prototypes). At the beginning of 2023, an order was placed for 1400 units (1000 basic Borsuk IFVs, 400 specialized variants), the first of which due to be delivered in 2025.
Borsuk is also available for export with various versions being offered to Romania and even Brazil. However, it’s unlikely to be a widely successful export article for now, first due to the lack of service experience and, secondly, due to the Polish Army likely gobbling up all produced units.
In Armored Warfare, the Borsuk will be a Tier 10 Premium AFV.
All in all, the vehicle itself is not very remarkable, but comes with a major twist. The armor is in concept somewhat similar to that of the Ajax – basic hull covered with modular composite plates. Compared to the Ajax, the vehicle is less armored and has fewer hitpoints (as it is considerably lighter) but it is protected from autocannons.
The firepower is also decent and consists of 40mm autocannon and a Spike ATGM launcher in an unmanned turret (the Spike launcher is unlocked via Battle Path progression). As for the mobility, the vehicle is considerably more agile than the Ajax thanks to its lower weight. 720hp for 28 tons is not a bad value, after all. The vehicle can naturally also deploy Mechanized Infantry.
So, now you might be thinking that we made a decent (if bland) IFV suitable for all kinds of players. But here comes the promised twist.
The Borsuk will also come with a unique ability called Repair Zone. Simply put, when activated, it deploys a repair team. In game terms, it spawns a circle behind it and staying in the circle will slowly restore your hitpoints. The restoration speed and the maximum amount of restored hitpoints are still being tuned, but the base will also have a physical object with hitpoints inside it (a pile of boxes). Destroying that object will remove the base.
This ability is sure to come in handy in both PvP and difficult PvE modes where a strategically placed Repair Zone can save the entire mission.
We hope you will enjoy the vehicle and, as always:
See you on the battlefield!