South Korean defence prime Hanwha Aerospace and been awarded a contract to supply Poland’s Huta Stawola Wola (HSW) with key chassis components for 87 Krab 155mm/52-calibre self-propelled howitzers (SPHs), the former announced on 7 April.
The contract, which is valued at approximately US$280 million, calls for Hanwha Aerospace to also supply powerpacks to HSW. Deliveries are expected to occur between 2026 and 2028.
While designed and produced in Poland by HSW, the Krab SPH includes considerable South Korean technology originally developed for their own K9 Thunder SPH, particularly the chassis.
“About a decade ago, we began our journey together with the first KRAB program,” said Jaeil Son, President and CEO of Hanwha Aerospace.
“The success of those 120 units demonstrated not only the integration of technologies from both sides but also became the cornerstone of an ironclad relationship between our two nations,” added Son.
Hanwha Aerospace is also contracted to deliver hundreds of K9 Thunder SPHs to the Polish Army. Poland signed the first executive contract with Hanwha Aerospace for the delivery of 212 K9A1 SPHs worth US$2.4 billion in July 2022, with the first batch of 24 SPHs delivered in December 2022. A further 40 K9s were delivered in 2023, with the remaining SPHs to be delivered by 2026.
Poland also awarded Hanwha Aerospace a second contract for six K9A1 and 146 K9PL SPHs worth US$2.6 billion in December 2023, with deliveries expected between 2026 and 2027. The latter are expected to be manufactured locally in Poland via transfer of technology,
The K9PL is derived from the latest K9A2 SPH and features an automatic loading system that boosts its rate of fire to 9-10 rounds per minute as opposed to the baseline K9A1’s 6-8 rounds per minute. The crew complement has also been reduced from five to three. Both Polish K9A1 and K9PL variants will be equipped with Polish communication systems and WB Group’s Topaz integrated combat management system.
According to Hanwha Aerospace, approximately 1,800 K9 have been delivered worldwide with several hundred more expected to be delivered in the near future. The K9 SPH is already in service in South Korea, Poland, Norway, Finland, Estonia, India, and Türkiye, with Australia, Egypt, and Romania lining up to field their own fleets.
Hanwha Aerospace is also developing more advanced versions of the K9 SPH, with the K9A3 concept featuring a fully automated turret as well as other firepower and survivability enhancements.
by Jr Ng
