EDEX 2025: Egypt Moves K9A1EGY 155 mm Howitzers Into Service as National Production Grows.

Egypt is moving its locally built K9A1EGY 155 mm self-propelled howitzer from an industrial project into frontline artillery units, with the first battalion slated for delivery in early 2026. The shift signals a major expansion of Egypt's heavy firepower and its emergence as a regional manufacturing hub for advanced tracked artillery.

Egypt is accelerating the fielding of its K9A1EGY self-propelled howitzer, according to details shared by the Ministry of Military Production and confirmed by defense officials at EDEX 2025 in Cairo. A dedicated production line is in its final construction phase, and at least one complete battery of K9s supported by K10 ammunition resupply vehicles and K11 command systems has already been delivered. Egyptian officials describe the program as a cornerstone of a broader push to localize major defense manufacturing and strengthen long-range fire support capabilities.
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Egypt’s K9A1EGY 155 mm self-propelled howitzer delivers rapid, long-range fire beyond 40 km with shoot and scoot mobility, armored protection, and a semi-automatic loading system for high-tempo artillery missions (Picture source: Army Recognition Group).

On the show floor, our team examined the Egyptian-configured K9A1EGY, presented as a 155 mm 52 caliber tracked self-propelled howitzer. The technical board lists a combat weight of 48 tons, an unloaded weight of 41.5 tons, an overall length of about 12.3 m, and a width of 3.4 m. A 1000 hp diesel engine drives the vehicle to 60 km/h with a road range of roughly 360 km, while the hydropneumatic suspension permits 60 percent gradient climbing, 30 percent side slope, and 1.5 m fording. The crew of five operates a semi-automatic loading system that supports sustained high rates of fire.

The K9A1EGY is the local variant of Hanwha Aerospace’s K9 Thunder family, which dominates the global self-propelled howitzer export market and has been ordered by numerous countries. Cairo signed the original artillery package in February 2022, a multibillion-dollar deal covering more than two hundred K9A1EGY howitzers together with K10 ammunition resupply and K11 fire direction vehicles, with technology transfer and extensive local production. Open source defense data now indicates a total of around 216 K9A1EGY, 39 K10, and 51 K11 on order.

Egypt’s Ministry of Military Production is establishing the K9 line in its own factories, backed by local manufacture of armor steel and a domestic 1000 hp powerpack that Hanwha recently qualified for the platform. Officials speak of a localization rate rising toward 67 percent over the coming years, including Egyptian-produced fire control electronics supplied through Hanwha Systems and Arab International Optronics. This scale of transfer positions Egypt not only as an operator but as a regional manufacturing hub for tracked artillery.

In tactical terms, the K9A1EGY provides long-range, high-tempo fires. The 155 mm 52 caliber gun, firing modern ERFB and base bleed ammunition, can reach beyond 40 km and up to about 54 km with rocket-assisted projectiles, while the semi-automatic loader allows three-round salvoes in under 15 seconds and six to eight rounds per minute in intense fire missions. The system can come into action, fire, and displace in under a minute, a classic shoot and scoot profile that sharply improves survivability against counter battery radars. Integrated operation with K10 and K11 vehicles gives Egyptian artillery brigades a complete networked package from gun line to ammunition logistics.

For the industry, the K9A1EGY program is a template that other states could replicate with Egypt as a partner. Countries in North and Sub-Saharan Africa or the Gulf that lack heavy manufacturing capacity could source finished vehicles from the Egyptian line, while those with nascent industries could negotiate component-level assembly and ammunition co-production on the back of Egyptian experience, similar to how Poland, India, and Australia have locally built K9 variants under Hanwha partnerships.

Compared with its peers, Egypt’s K9A1EGY sits in the top tier of modern artillery. Germany’s PzH 2000 offers a comparable range and even higher burst rates of fire, but at significantly higher unit cost and with more restrictive technology transfer. The American M109A7 Paladin remains integral to US brigades, yet its 39 caliber gun typically delivers shorter ranges around 30 km. Wheeled systems such as the French Caesar provide superior strategic mobility but cannot match the tracked K9’s armor protection and sustained firing stability.

For Egypt, the emergence of the K9A1EGY battery at EDEX 2025 signals the arrival of a domestically anchored heavy artillery capability tailored to desert maneuver, long coastline defense, and high-intensity conflict. With mass production about to start and precision 155 mm munitions already in development with Hanwha, the program has the potential to reshape not only Egyptian fire support but the wider artillery market across Africa and the Middle East.

Written by Evan Lerouvillois, Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group.

Evan studied International Relations, and quickly specialized in defense and security. He is particularly interested in the influence of the defense sector on global geopolitics, and analyzes how technological innovations in defense, arms export contracts, and military strategies influence the international geopolitical scene.