due to formal deficiencies and the low participation of Polish industry in the program. The same year, a decision was made to commission the modernization of the Polish Armaments Group. The final offer was submitted in November 2015, thus starting negotiations. On December 28, 2015, an agreement was signed between the Armament Inspectorate () and a consortium consisting of PGZ and Zakłady Mechaniczne Bumar-Łabędy for the modernization of 128 Leopard 2 tanks with an option for another 14 units. The German partner of the consortium was the German company Rheinmetall Landsysteme, which in the past co-produced Leopard 2 tanks. The contract amount was 2.415 billion PLN. On June 20, 2018, an annex was signed using the option to upgrade 14 tanks, i.e. all Leopard 2A4 tanks used by the Army. The cost of the contract increased to 2.721 billion PLN. The contract originally assumed that all copies of the base order would be transferred by 2020 and those from options for 14 machines by 2021. The original work schedule assumed that the entire work process would be divided into five stages. In the first stage for 2016, preparation of all infrastructure and resources needed for modernization were anticipated. The second stage predicted that from November 2016 to the end of 2017, dismantling of the machines and preparation for the modernization process would be carried out, while in the third stage, falling in 2018, technology transfer and staff training on a trial batch of tanks. From June 2018 to March 2019, the process of starting production and delivery of the pre-series machine to the recipient was to begin, and the last fifth stage lasting from January 2019 to November 2020 was to begin serial modernization of machines and deliveries (only machines from the first contract, i.e. 128 pieces). However, the original modernization process envisaged that the prototype in the number of one piece would be delivered by the third quarter of 2018, the test batch in the number of 5 pieces (the process of training Polish specialists and technology transfer) made in Germany would be delivered by the end of 2018, the test patria comprising 12 machines already completed in Poland, it will be delivered by the end of the first quarter of 2019, and serial production of the other machines under the basic contract is to be carried out from the second quarter of 2019 to the third quarter of