Hanwha Aerospace Delivers First 24 K9 Self-Propelled Howitzers to Poland

Hanwha Aerospace delivered the first 24 K9 Self-Propelled Howitzers to Poland which were unloaded from a cargo ship at the port of Gdynia on December 5.
The official ceremony was held on December 6 to celebrate the arrival of K9PLs, with the attendance of Polish Government leaders including President Andrzej Duda and Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak.
“The handover of K9PLs is a key milestone in the development of partnership between Hanwha Aerospace and the Government of Poland,” said Lee Boo-hwan, head of Hanwha Aerospace’s European business.
The K9PL delivery took only about three months after an executive contract was signed in late August. Under the first executive contract, Hanwha will deliver hundreds of K9PLs by 2026, with plans are also in place to manufacture hundreds of more K9PLs in Poland from 2026 in cooperation with Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ), which also manufactures the Krab Self-Propelled Howitzer.
In addition, Hanwha Aerospace plans to build an advanced MRO center in Poland to provide efficient logistics support to Poland and other K9 user countries across the European region.

With the expansion of countries operating K9 artillery systems, Hanwha launched the K9 User Community in April 2022 to share experience on the operation of the K9, including logistics support capability. K9 user countries include South Korea, Turkey, Poland, India, Finland, Norway, Estonia, Australia and Egypt.
The K9 Thunder can deliver consistent, accurate, fire at +40km range. The K9 is optimized for “Shoot-and-Scoot” capability to fire multiple rounds and immediately move to a different location to avoid potential counter-fire.
In a recent milestone, the K9 and K10 Ammunition Resupply Vehicle were successfully tested by the US Army to prove their compatibility with various US munitions. The test was conducted at the Yuma
Proving Ground in Arizona in mid-September 2022 to fire different types of US munitions including 155mm M795 projectiles and XM1113 Rocket Assistance Projectiles.