On 7 October, Poland’s defence procurement agency announced on social media that a new shipment consisting of twelve K9A1 artillery systems had arrived in Poland. With the formal acceptance of this batch of guns, the number of K9A1 self-propelled howitzers in service with the Polish Armed Forces will rise to 108.
The USD 2.5 billion contract between Poland’s Ministry of National Defence and the South Korean defence company Hanwha Aerospace for 212 K9 artillery systems, together with ammunition, spare parts, training, and logistic support, was signed in August 2022.
This means that Hanwha has delivered to Poland more than one hundred artillery systems within twenty-six months. The remaining howitzers are expected to be delivered by 2026.
Before entering service with the Polish Land Forces, all K9 artillery systems delivered from South Korea are equipped with the FONET communication system and the TOPAZ integrated management system. The provider of both is the Polish technology company WB Group.
In 2023, Poland signed an additional contract with Hanwha for 152 K9 artillery systems (six K9A1 and 146 K9PL), with deliveries scheduled for 2026-2027. The value of this deal is USD 2.6 billion.
