More Korean Artillery Pieces in the Polish Armed Forces

It was not said how many howitzers the artillerymen from Nowa Dęba received exactly, it was also not announced whether these come from a new batch, or the retrofitting stage (with Polish external comms suite, intercom, and ZZKO Topaz FCS). The retrofitting stage is aimed to ensure interoperability between the WD/WDSz command vehicles of the Regina fire modules, and the K9A1. The new K9A1 deliveries make it possible to gradually replace the legacy, Post-Soviet 2S1 Gvozdika systems - these are being transferred to Ukraine. By the end of 2023, Poland received 66 K9A1 systems, whereas 18 examples came in the last batch.

218 K9A1 howitzers (212+6) are expected to be procured by 2026, along with a training and logistics package, and several thousand rounds of ammunition. The performance contract is worth USD 2.4 bn. An extra 6 K9A1 systems were procured within the framework of the contract signed on 1st December last year, alongside 146 K9PL self-propelled howitzers.

The polonized K9 systems will be delivered between 2026 and 2027. The Polish Armed Forces would ultimately operate 364 K9A1/PL artillery pieces. Negotiation is underway also to procure support vehicles for the K9 units, identical to those operated with the Krab howitzer.

K9 Thunder is a South Korean self-propelled gun-howitzer, designed by Samsung Techwin (Hanwha Aerospace today), to meet the requirements of the ROK Army. The system is operated by a crew of five: commander, gunner, loader, loader’s assistant, and driver. K2 has been fitted with the Korean Hyundai WIA 155 mm gun featuring a 52-calibre long barrel. When using base-bleed rounds, the range is 40 kilometres. Special-purpose rounds may offer ranges exceeding 50 kilometres. The howitzer can carry 48 projectiles plus propelling charges. The platform is powered by a 1,000 HP MTU MT 881 Ka-500 engine, providing the gun with a top speed of 67 kilometres per hour, and a range of 480 kilometres.