Rosomak: Ukrainian battlefront's resilient defender
Ukrainians released a "rare photo showing one of Ukraine's most advanced IFVs, the Polish-supplied KTO Rosomak-M1," reports the Ukrainian OSINT Technical profile on X, which specializes in open-source intelligence. Polish transporters remain one of those pieces of Western equipment that Russians find the hardest to target on the front line.
Poland supplied the Ukrainian armed forces with 200 units of KTO Rosomak armoured personnel carriers. According to data collected by the Oryx portal, the Russians have eliminated only seven of them so far. The Polish design, described as one of the most modern, is therefore a valuable tool for Ukrainians and simultaneously a challenging target for the opponent.
Although the Ukrainian army has been actively using Rosomaks since 2023, recordings and photos of them on the front line are rare. The OSINT Technical profile thus highlights new material that has appeared on social media.
Polish Rosomak vehicle
The company Rosomak SA, formerly known as the Military Plant in Siemianowice Śląskie, began production of the wheeled armoured transporter at the beginning of the 21st century. Its prototype was unveiled in 2001, and mass production started two years later in 2003. By 2020, more than 900 units of this vehicle had left the factory.
The Rosomak is powered by a Scania D1 12 56A03PE turbocharged diesel engine, reaching nearly 670 horsepower. It is paired with a German ZF 7HP 902S automatic transmission. The vehicle can achieve a maximum speed of around 100 km/h, and a full tank allows it to cover about 800 km.
A key aspect of the Rosomak is its protection. It carries a crew of three people and eight dismount troops. Its layered armour can withstand shelling with 14.5 mm calibre bullets from the front and 7.62 mm from the sides. The main armour layer consists of steel plates 0.8 cm thick. Spaces between them can be filled with foam, which improves the vehicle's buoyancy when crossing water obstacles.
The Rosomak-M1 visible in photos from Ukraine is a variant equipped with the Hitfist-30P turret by OTO Melara from Italy. This turret features an ATK Mk44 Bushmaster II automatic cannon with a 30 mm calibre and a UKM-2000C machine gun with a 7.62 mm calibre.
The Hitfist turret, weighing around 2,300 kg, is built from aluminium alloy with additional aluminium alloy plates and composite material elements. These solutions enhance the combat effectiveness of the Rosomak, providing it with a higher level of safety on the battlefield.
