TSAMTO, February 17. The Polish Ministry of Defense ordered 48 additional 155-mm self-propelled howitzers "Crab". The official signing of the contract was announced at a press conference on February 15 by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
As reported by Armyrecognition.com with reference to the Polish news site TVP World, in connection with the new order for the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus and with the recent contract signed with Ukraine, the production rate of 155-mm ACS "Crab" at the facilities of the Polish company Huta Stalowa Wola (HSW) in cooperation with BAE Systems and OBRUM will be increased.
The publication recalls that on July 24, 2022, Poland signed an agreement with Ukraine for the supply of 60 units of 155-mm tracked self-propelled guns "Crab" in the amount of 650 million euros. At the moment, Warsaw has handed over to Kiev at least 18 self-propelled howitzers of this type.
Recall that the Minister of National Defense of Poland Mariusz Blaszczak announced the preliminary approval of the contract for the supply of 48 units of 155-mm self-propelled howitzers "Crab" and 36 support vehicles to the Armed Forces of the country on September 5, 2022. The cost of the order, as it was announced at the time, will exceed 3.8 billion. zloty ($802.3 million). The document was approved during the opening of the 30th International Defense Industry Exhibition in Kielce. The agreement on the purchase of howitzers was signed by the Arms Agency of the Polish Ministry of Defense and the company Huta Stalowa Wola.
As previously 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 Huta Stalowa Wola worth 223 million zloty (101.36 million dollars) to complete the design and supply 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, on December 17, 2014, the Defense Procurement Programs Agency of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Korea (DAPA) announced that Poland had ordered a modified K9 self-propelled howitzer chassis developed by Samsung Techwin 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 provides for the manufacture of 120 chassis (24 + 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's facilities with the turret of the British 155 mm self-propelled howitzer AS90.
The Polish 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. Installation calculation – 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 Inspectorate for Armaments of the Polish Ministry of Defense (now the Agency for Armaments of the Polish Ministry of Defense) signed a contract with Huta Stalowa Wola for the supply of four more "divisional firing modules" Regina based on 155 mm SG Crab (96 installations in total) to the Armed Forces of the country. The value of the agreement exceeds 4.65 billion. zloty ($1.1 billion). 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 were transferred to the Polish Armed Forces as part of the implementation of this contract.
In May 2022, the Polish authorities donated one "Crab" division consisting of 18 self-propelled howitzers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
