Warsaw, August 15, 2025
Military parade in Warsaw on August 15, 2025.
On the occasion of Polish Armed Forces Day on August 15, 2025, a military parade took place on Warsaw’s Wisłostrada Street, during which modern equipment of the Polish Army was displayed. We thank the Polish Army for its service and defense of the borders of the Republic of Poland.
During the parade, 4,000 soldiers from the Polish Armed Forces, the USA, the UK, France, and Romania performed. 300 military vehicles were on display, including K2 and Abrams tanks, Borsuk infantry fighting vehicles, and Baobab-K vehicles. Fifty helicopters and aircraft, including multi-role Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters, also flew in the air parade.
For the first time, in addition to the parade in Warsaw, a naval parade took place near Hel. Corvettes, frigates, and minehunters participated in the naval parade in the Baltic Sea.
In Warsaw, the parade began with a demonstration by paratroopers, who unfurled the large “White and Red” national flag. A gun salute was also fired. Following speeches by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and President Karol Nawrocki, a military parade set off along Warsaw’s Wisłostrada highway, attended by 4,000 soldiers and approximately 300 combat vehicles. It is worth noting that another 4,000 soldiers provided logistical support for the parade. Units from all branches of the armed forces marched.
At the head of the parade was the Polish Army’s representative guard in uniforms of the Land Forces, Air Force, and Navy, followed by representatives of the individual branches of the armed forces. The Land Forces, Air Force, Navy, Special Forces (AGAT unit), Territorial Defense Forces, Cyber Defense Forces, Military Police, former Podhale Riflemen, and the 6th Airborne Brigade also participated in the parade. A total of 88 color guards representing various units and structures of the Polish Army also participated. The Polish Army Cavalry Squadron paraded behind the infantry. Vehicles followed the parade on foot.
Next, heavy equipment from the operational forces appeared on Wisłostrada. The famous Rosomak wheeled armored personnel carriers, in the older version with the Hitfist turret and with the modern ZSSW-30 turrets, were also present. Reconnaissance Rosomaks, artillery command vehicles, and medical evacuation vehicles also participated.
Furthermore, anti-aircraft systems were deployed, including short-range Poprad and Pilica systems, and elements of the Patriot medium-range battery. There were Iguanas, Żmijas, Rosomaks, Langustas, and Lobsters. The parade also featured reconnaissance vehicles used by the Territorial Defence Force, among others; Polaris quads, and recently commissioned Kleszcz vehicles for reconnaissance units, which are intended to replace the post-Soviet BRDM-2 vehicles. Lightly armored Iguanas and Żmija vehicles, used by soldiers on the Belarusian border, among others, also drove along the Wisłostrada. Among the vehicles were Gladius systems, armored vehicles equipped with BAL launchers. Next, artillery systems appeared on the Wisłostrada, including 120 mm Rak mortars built on a Rosomak chassis, and Polish WR-40 Langusta rocket launchers. These were followed by Homar-K launchers, heavier Jelcz vehicles with Korean K239 Chunmoo rocket launchers, and then several Homar-A launchers, the American-made HIMARS launchers known in Ukraine. Soldiers also presented engineering equipment, including the Daglezja bridge. M1 Abrams and Leopard tanks, and infantry fighting vehicles. Allies also displayed their equipment; the Americans took part in the parade with their M1 Abrams tanks and M2 Bradley fighting vehicles, while the Romanians carried Gepard anti-aircraft systems. Following the Gepards were Polish Borsuk infantry fighting vehicles, recently ordered for the Polish Army to replace the extremely outdated post-Soviet BWP-1s. The final part of the display featured the heaviest equipment. There were dozens of tanks representing Polish armored forces. The first to be presented were the Polish-made Leopard 2 tanks, the 2PL version, followed by the K2 tanks ordered from South Korea. The heaviest tanks, the M1 Abrams, in its modern M1A2 SEPv3 version, appeared at the end of the armored portion of the parade. The vehicle parade concluded with the Polish Army’s barrel artillery, namely the Polish-made Krab and South Korean-made K9 gun-howitzers.
We were most interested in what was in the air. First up were three Leonardo AW149 helicopters. Behind them were three AH-64E Apache helicopters. For the first time, helicopters belonging to the Polish Air Force, albeit leased, were on display. Next came a formation of five PZL-130 Orlik aircraft from the aerobatic team. Next came three PZL M-28 Bryza aircraft. Following them was a formation of a Lockheed C-130 Hercules accompanied by two CASA C-295M aircraft. Next flew an Australian Boeing E-7A Wedgetail electronic warfare aircraft accompanied by two Leonardo M-346 Bielik aircraft. Next came a French Airbus A-330 NB 047 tanker accompanied by two Lockheed Martin F-16 Jastrząb aircraft. They were followed by three FA-50 aircraft of the Polish Air Force. Then came six Leonardo M-346 Bielik aircraft. Then came the international formations: an F-16 and two Rafale aircraft (France), an F-16 and two SAAB JAS-39 aircraft, and an F-16 and two Eurofighter Typhoons. The flypast concluded with a formation of six Lockheed Martin F-16 Jastrząb aircraft.
The naval parade featured 20 ships on the water and aircraft and helicopters in the air. The helicopters included a Mil Mi-17, a PZL Mi-2, a Kaman SH-2 Seasprite, a Mil Mi-14, an AW-101, a PZL W-3 Anakonda, a SAAB 340AW, and a PZL M-28 Bryza.
Written by Karol Placha Hetman