According to information published by the "Arirang" website on January 21, 2022, following a summit with his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, on January 20, 2022, President Moon Jae-in said that South Korea and Egypt are on the final stage to conclude the acquisition of K9 Thunder 155mm tracked self-propelled howitzers.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
South Korean Army K9 Thunder 155mm tracked self-propelled howitzer. (Picture source Army Recognition)
South Korea is in the process to offer the K9 Thunder 155mm self-propelled howitzers for Egypt based on a defense cooperation agreement and the possibility to produce the artillery systems under license in Egypt.
In December 2021, South Korea’s Minister of Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), Kang Eun-ho was in Egypt and he met the Egyptian Minister of Military Production Mohamed Morsy to discuss joint defense cooperation between the two countries.
During a meeting, Egypt and South Korea discussed the possibility of enhancing defense industry cooperation with the Korean side in joint manufacturing of the K2 Black Panther Main Battle Tank, as well as the joint manufacturing of the K9 Thunder howitzer.
During the Egypt Defense Exhibition EDEX, which was held in Cairo from 29 November to 2 December 2021, the South Korean company Hanwha Defense exhibited a special version of its K9 Thunder 155mm self-propelled howitzer under a special version dubbed K9EGY with a desert scheme.
According to open sources information, In 2010, K9 was evaluated by the Egyptian military to replace its aging artillery fleet. However, the deal was delayed as the Egyptian government requested a reduction on technology transfer fees, which the Korean government had the ownership, not the company.
The K9 Thunder is a 155mm 52 caliber tracked self-propelled howitzer developed and manufactured by the South Korean company developed by Hanwha Defense. The K9 becomes one of the most popular self-propelled howitzers in the world and is now in service with Australia, Estonia, Finland, India, Norway, Poland only the chassis, South Korea, and Turkey under the name of T-155 Firtina. The first batch of K9 was delivered to the Republic of Korea Army in 1999.
The K9 Thunder is based on tracked chassis and armored hull and turret providing ballistic protection against the firing of small arms 14.5mm caliber and artillery shell splinters. The K9 has a crew of five including a driver, commander, gunner, and two loaders.
The turret of the K9 is mounted at the rear of the hull and is armed with a 155mm / 52 caliber gun. The artillery weapon system of the K9 has a burst rate of fire of three rounds per 15 seconds and a maximum rate of fire of six to eight rounds a minute for three minutes. It has a maximum firing of 30 km with HE (High Explosive) rocket-assisted projectile and 40 km with K307, a 155mm long-range high explosive ammunition developed by the South Korean company Poongsan.
