Image source: topwar.ru
Ukraine will receive three more artillery divisions of 155 mm Polish Krab self-propelled howitzers, this time not for free. As reported, Kiev and Warsaw signed an agreement for the supply of 54 Polish self-propelled guns of new construction to the APU.
According to the Polish press, the contract value is about 3 billion zlotys (about 700 million dollars), for this money Ukraine should receive 54 Krab self-propelled guns of new construction and several auxiliary vehicles. Together with the 18 Polish self-propelled guns already transferred to the AFU, they should make up three divisions. Delivery dates are not reported, Poland has the ability to produce 20-30 Krab self-propelled guns per year, at the moment it produces 8-16, based on financing. By 2025, the Polish industry must produce 45 self-propelled guns for the Polish army, and this is provided that a contract for another 80 howitzers is not concluded. So the Ukrainian order will not be fast.
Earlier, the Polish Defense Ministry announced the transfer of 18 (eighteen) Krab self-propelled guns of 155 mm caliber to the Ukrainian military. There is no information about when the transfer took place and under what conditions. It is also reported that Poland has prepared calculations for these self-propelled guns, having trained about a hundred Ukrainian servicemen.
The Krab self-propelled artillery unit is equipped with a chassis from the South Korean K9 Thunder howitzer and a turret from the British AS-90M Braveheart self-propelled gun (manufactured in Poland under license). The mass of the Krab self—propelled gun is 52 tons, the crew is 5 people. The caliber of the gun is 155 mm, the rate of fire is 6 rounds per minute, the maximum firing range is 40 km (when using specialized high-precision ammunition - up to 70 km). The howitzer can reach speeds of up to 60 km/h and has a power reserve of about 360 km.
It is noted that Kiev will pay for the order of howitzers not from its own funds, but from those allocated by the United States and Europe.
