Hanwha Aerospace has efficiently delivered a batch of 24 K9 self-propelled howitzers to the Polish Armed Forces, assembly the necessities of the Polish deterrence functionality. Upon arrival on December 5, the155mm/52-calibre howitzers, known as ‘K9PL’, have been unloaded from a cargo ship on the Port of Gdynia the place a reception ceremony was to happen. The official ceremony was held on December 6 to rejoice the arrival of K9PLs, with the attendance of Polish Authorities leaders together with President Andrzej Duda and Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak. Among the many South Korean individuals have been Minister Eom Dong-hwan of the Protection Acquisition Program Administration; Deputy Minister Yoo Dong-joon of the Ministry of Nationwide Protection; Son Jaeil, President and CEO of Hanwha Aerospace; and Govt Vice President Lee Boo-hwan of Hanwha Aerospace’s Enterprise in Europe.
“There is no such thing as a doubt Hanwha Aerospace is probably the most dependable associate for Poland to contribute the Polish defence functionality and business development. Hanwha is dedicated to creating Poland as a hub for the availability of K9 programs in Europe primarily based on stronger partnership with the Authorities of Poland,” stated Son Jaeil, President and CEO of Hanwha Aerospace.
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“The handover of K9PLs is a key milestone within the improvement of partnership between Hanwha Aerospace and the Authorities of Poland. Assembly the necessities of the Polish Armed Forces is our prime precedence, and we’re pleased with having produced and delivered the best-quality gear to Poland so rapidly,” stated Lee Boo-hwan, head of Hanwha Aerospace’s European enterprise.
The K9PL supply took solely about three months after an government contract was signed in late August. Beneath the primary government contract, Hanwha will ship lots of of K9PLs by 2026, with plans are additionally in place to fabricate lots of of extra K9PLs in Poland from 2026 in cooperation with Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ), the most important defence group in Poland, which additionally manufactures the Krab Self-Propelled Howitzer. As well as, Hanwha Aerospace additionally plans to construct a complicated MRO centre in Poland to supply environment friendly logistics assist to Poland and different K9 consumer international locations throughout the European area.
With the enlargement of nations working K9 artillery programs, Hanwha launched the K9 Person Group in April 2022 to share expertise on the operation of the K9, together with logistics assist functionality. K9 consumer international locations embrace South Korea, Turkey, Poland, India, Finland, Norway, Estonia, Australia and Egypt. The K9 Thunder is the world’s hottest tracked self-propelled gun with over 2,000 models are already in service across the globe. The howitzer can ship constant, correct, fast results at +40km vary with excessive charges and volumes of fireside. Specifically, the K9 is optimised for ‘Shoot-and-Scoot’ functionality to fireplace a number of rounds and instantly transfer to a special location to keep away from potential counter-fire. In a latest milestone, the K9 and K10 Ammunition Resupply Automobile have been efficiently examined by the US Military to show their compatibility with varied US munitions. The take a look at was carried out on the Yuma Proving Floor in Arizona in mid-September 2022 to fireplace various kinds of US munitions together with 155mm M795 projectiles and XM1113 Rocket Help Projectiles.
