TSAMTO, June 3. The day before, TSAMTO suggested that the purpose of the visit of Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak to the Republic of Korea was to ensure the purchase of VIVT for the Armed Forces and the veiled involvement of Seoul in these supplies.
These guesses were confirmed in the latest news from Poland.
As it became known to the Polish media, three more divisions of 155-mm self-propelled howitzers "Crab" will be sent to Ukraine in the coming months. As reported, the first division consisting of 18 installations from the Polish Armed Forces was transferred to the Ukrainian Armed Forces last week. Although the terms of its delivery are not exactly known (probably a gratuitous transfer), now we are talking about the sale of SG "Crab".
According to Dziennik.pl On May 31, the parties signed an agreement to supply the Armed Forces of Ukraine with three additional Crab divisions (from 54 to 72 howitzers). The contract value is about 3 billion. zloty ($ 700 million). According to the publication, the agreement was signed with the active assistance of the Ministry of State Property, the Ministry of National Defense and the Office of the Prime Minister of Poland.
Ukraine became the first export customer of the Polish "hybrid" of the South Korean chassis and the British tower, and the fighting in the neighboring state can become a "klondike" for the Polish defense industry, since it has not received such a large export contract for several decades.
It is reported that the installations will be manufactured at the Huta Stalowa Wola company, which is part of the Polish Arms Group (Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa – PGZ). However, since it is stated that deliveries will be carried out in the next few months, and currently HSW's production facilities allow only 20-30 units to be produced. SG "Crab" per year, the APU is likely to receive both installations prepared for transfer to the customer and installations already delivered to the Polish Armed Forces.
The accelerated delivery is explained by the fact that at the moment artillery is one of the most important, if not the most important means of conducting military operations in Ukraine.
The issue of ammunition for howitzers is still a problem, since the Polish industry does not produce them independently yet. However, it is likely that the United States will be able to provide ammunition, or the Republic of Korea, which does not understand what it is being dragged into the conflict. At the same time, it would be interesting to officially clarify the attitude of the South Korean authorities to such a form of supply of the Armed Forces.
As reported by TSAMTO, the program of equipping the Polish Armed Forces with 155-mm self-propelled howitzers "Crab" began in May 2008 after the conclusion of a contract with the company Huta Stalowa Wola (HSW) worth 223 million zloty (101.36 million dollars) for the completion of the design and delivery of the first "divisional firing module" "Regina" (Regina).
Due to technical problems with the chassis, the implementation of the program was significantly delayed. As a result, in mid-December 2014, the Defense Procurement Programs Agency of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Korea (DAPA) announced the acquisition by Poland of the chassis of the K9 "Thunder" self-propelled howitzer, developed by Samsung Techwin, modified in accordance with Polish requirements. Signed by Huta Stalowa Wola with Samsung Techwin (Hanwha Group acquired Samsung Techwin in July 2015 and changed its name to Hanwha Techwin), the basic contract provided for the manufacture of 120 chassis units (24 units). + option for 96 units). Its cost was 83.2 billion. won (about $78 million). According to the terms of the agreement, a total of 36 chassis should be produced in the Republic of Korea, another 84 units – in Poland under license.
In Poland, the supplied K9 chassis is integrated at HSW facilities with the turret of the British 155-mm self-propelled howitzer AS90. The 155–mm self-propelled howitzer "Crab" weighing more than 50 tons allows you to hit targets at ranges up to 40 km, the maximum rate of fire is up to 6 rounds/min. The calculation of the installation is 5 people.
The first 9 units of 155-mm SG "Crab" on a new chassis were transferred to the Polish Armed Forces at the Huta Stalowa Wola enterprise on November 18, 2016, and the first (pre-production) divisional fire module "Regina" under the 2008 contract was adopted by the 11th Masurian Artillery Regiment (Vengozhevo) on August 31, 2017.
On December 14, 2016, the Weapons Inspectorate of the Polish Ministry of Defense concluded a contract with Huta Stalowa Wola for the supply of four serial "divisional firing modules" "Regina" based on 155 mm SG "Crab" (96 installations in total) to the Armed Forces of the country. As expected, the adoption of the Polish Armed Forces of all five divisional firing modules will be completed in 2024. As of May 2022, three modules have been transferred to the Polish Armed Forces.
