Natural obstacles and engineering barriers, bunker systems, drone infrastructure, and electronic barriers. A compact belt stretching for hundreds of kilometers along the borders with Russia and Belarus. This is the East Shield, designed to help protect Poland against potential aggression. Minefields are an integral part of this extensive plan. Designers have already indicated locations where they are to be deployed if necessary, and the government is strengthening its capacity to carry out this task quickly and effectively by purchasing modern mine-laying systems for the Polish Armed Forces.

With and Without Tracks

The first of these is the Baobab-K scattered mine-laying vehicle – a creation of domestic companies belonging to the Polish Armaments Group (PGZ, Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa). It has been built on the Jelcz chassis and fitted with a 540-hp diesel engine. The crew are two soldiers in an armored cabin. For self-defense, they use the Obra-3 system, which can quickly generate a smoke screen. The most important part, however, is located at the rear. On the platform behind the driver’s compartment, the designers have installed six rotating launchers, each equipped with 100 MN-123 anti-tank mines.

During minelaying, the vehicle moves at a speed of 5 to 25 km/h, while the launch tubes eject the contents of the cassettes in various directions – to the back and to the sides – at a range of up to 100 m. Within 20 minutes, the vehicle’s crew can lay a minefield 180 m wide and 1,800 m long. On top of that, replenishing the supply of 600 mines takes no more than half an hour.

The minelaying itself can be carried out automatically, after programming the onboard computer accordingly, or manually by operating the launchers from the cabin. In addition, the parameters of the minefield and the coordinates of its corners are recorded on digital maps, and Baobab’s crew can forward the data to higher command. All of this provides engineering unit commanders with very precise information on the number and location of deployed mines. This facilitates the planning of their own troops’ movements and, later, if necessary, the clearance of the minefields.

The MN-123 mines are manufactured by Belma, a company based in Bydgoszcz. They are designed to destroy tanks, armored personnel carriers, and infantry fighting vehicles. They can penetrate 60 mm of armor and explode when a vehicle disrupts their magnetic field. The mines also have a built-in self-destruction system. Before deployment, they can be programed to automatically self-destruct after a specified period of time.

Research and development work on Baobab-K began back in 2018. The project was the result of an agreement between the Armaments Agency and Huta Stalowa Wola (HSW). Five years later, the Polish Ministry of National Defense (MoND) signed its first contract with the manufacturer for the delivery of 24 vehicles. The contract was worth 510 million zlotys. The first vehicles – excluding the test vehicle delivered earlier – were transferred to the army at the end of July 2026. They were assigned to the 16th Engineer Regiment in Orzysz. Deliveries will be completed in two years. Meanwhile, in May of this year, the MoND decided to purchase 11 more Baobab-K vehicles. The transaction will be financed from the EU’s SAFE (Security Action for Europe) program.

In addition to Baobab-K, the army will also receive Baobab-G vehicles. The main difference between them is that the G version is tracked. The designers based their concept on the Krab howitzer, manufactured at HSW. Tracks will allow the vehicle to navigate more difficult terrain, and its crew will be protected by a 12.7-mm machine gun. The contract for the delivery of the Baobab-G vehicles, worth 1 billion zlotys, was signed in December 2025. The Armaments Agency has not disclosed the exact number of vehicles it intends to procure. However, it is known that the first tracked Baobab vehicles will be delivered to the Polish Armed Forces in 2029.

Bluszcz on the Horizon

Meanwhile, the MoND is already looking ahead – toward unmanned mine-laying vehicles. During Exercise Iron Defender 2025, soldiers had the first opportunity to test the Bluszcz system. This is another project by Polish specialists, the result of a joint effort by a consortium consisting of Stekop, the Military Institute of Armored and Automotive Technology (WITPiS, Wojskowy Instytut Techniki Pancernej i Samochodowej), and Belma. Bluszcz is based on the TAERO vehicle, which uses Toyota components, has four-wheel drive, and is equipped with both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. It can cover a total distance of over 400 km, traveling partly in silent mode, which makes it difficult for the enemy to detect. The operator controls it using the Central Vehicle Control System (CSSP, Centralny System Sterowania Pojazdem).

Bluszcz can lay a barrier consisting of 100 MN-123 anti-tank mines in a single operation.

Similarly to the Baobab vehicles, mine laying is performed using a launcher manufactured by Belma. Bluszcz can lay a barrier consisting of 100 MN-123 anti-tank mines in a single operation. The process itself can be carried out in either manual or automatic mode. Again, data regarding the location and size of the minefield are recorded by the system and then transmitted to higher command if necessary.

The MoND has not yet signed a contract for the delivery of Bluszcz to the Polish Armed Forces. However, this is likely to happen soon. “We are in the process of finalizing this minelaying project, which is crucial for our security,” emphasized Prime Minister Donald Tusk in February during a presentation of the system in Zielonka. “In the event of a threat, we will be able to mine the Polish border within 48 hours,” he added.

Modern vehicles, however, are not everything. Poland is also gradually replenishing its stock of mines. At the end of May, the MoND signed six contracts for the delivery of this type of ammunition. The contracts, worth approximately 2 billion zlotys, will be executed by Belma, supported by several other companies that have formed a consortium with it. Funds from SAFE will help finance the project.

In recent years, the Polish Armed Forces have used mine-laying systems in a limited extent. The Kroton mining system entered service about two decades ago. Now, this capability will be significantly enhanced. Mines are a cheap and effective weapon. They can halt an enemy’s advance, but they can also serve as a deterrent – in certain circumstances, no less effective than modern aircraft or missile launchers.