Poland signs agreement with Ukraine to deliver 60 Krab 155mm self-propelled howitzers.

According to information published by the "dziennil.pl" website on June 1, 2022, after the delivery last week of the first batch of 18 Polish-made Krab 155mm tracked self-propelled howitzers in Ukraine, Poland signed a new agreement with Ukraine to deliver 60 new 155mm howitzers that will be manufactured by the polish company HSW (Huta Stalowa Wola).
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Polish army Krab 155mm self-propelled howitzer based on tracked armored chassis. (Picture source Army Recognition)

Citing information from "dziennil.pl" website, the contract for the supply of 60 Krab 155mm tracked self-propelled howitzers will reach an amount of $700 million and will become the largest military export contract for the Polish military industry. The howitzers will be manufactured by the Polish company HSW (Huta Stalowa Wola). The construction of the artillery vehicles will be done at a rate of 30 units. per year

On May 30, 2022, the Army Recognition editorial team reported that Poland has delivered 18 Krab 155mm tracked self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine and that a hundred Ukrainian soldiers were trained in Poland in the use of the Krab howitzer.

The Krab is a 155mm self-propelled howitzer based on tracked armored chassis from South Korea. This is the latest generation of artillery vehicles in service with the Polish armed forces. The first vehicles were handed over by the Polish army in November 2016 and a new deal was signed in December 2016 to acquire a new batch of 96 howitzers to equip five artillery regiments. Currently of the 120 vehicles ordered, 80 have already been delivered to the Polish army.

The design of the Krab is standard for a modern self-propelled howitzer with the driver position on the left, the powerpack is on the forward right and the turret is mounted at the rear of the hull. The Krab howitzer has a crew of five. The turret and the hull provide protection against the firing of small arms and artillery shell splinters. It has a combat weight of around 52 tons.

The main armament of the Krab consists of a 155mm/52 caliber gun which has a burst rate of fire of three rounds per ten seconds. The cannon can fire a wide range of 155mm NATO ammunition with a maximum firing range of 40 km. The vehicle can carry 40 rounds of ammunition that are stored inside the turret and chassis.

The Krab howitzer is powered by a 12-cylinder, multi-fuel, water-cooled, turbocharged diesel engine developing 625 kW at 2000 rpm. It can run at a maximum road speed of 60 km/h with a maximum cruising range of 650 km.