Hanwha sends first K9 howitzers to Poland
Poland will receive a total of 48 K9A1s in the Republic of Korea Army configuration and another 624 in K9PLs. (Photo: Hanwha Defense)
The K9 SPH rollout is part of a contract signed by Hanwha Defense and Poland in August and will see the delivery of nearly 700 K9s by 2026.
An initial batch of 24 K9PL SPHs has been rolled out from Hanwha Defense’s factory in Changwon, South Korea, to be sent to Poland, the company announced on 19 October.
The delivery is part of the first executive contract signed by the partners at the end of August.
The $2.4 billion deal encompasses K9 SPHs, 155mm artillery rounds, training and logistics support. These are to be delivered from 2022-26.
Poland will receive a total of 48 K9A1s in the Republic of Korea Army configuration in 2022-23, while another 624 will be K9PLs built to Polish specifications by Hanwha in South Korea from 2024, and by HSW in Poland from 2026.
The K9PL is based on the K9A1 variant that features improvements such as automatic fire control, driver night vision periscopes, and auxiliary power units.
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