Two Krab self-propelled howitzers at the 23 December 2024 signing of a contract for Huta Stalowa Wola to supply 96 more of them to the Polish army. (Polish MoD)
Poland's Armaments Agency (AA) within its Ministry of National Defence (MND) has contracted Polish defence company Huta Stalowa Wola SA (HSW) for around PLN16.5 billion (USD4 billion) for Krab self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) and support vehicles for South Korean-bought K9 SPHs.
The K9 contract is for over 250 accompanying vehicles such as command vehicles and artillery reconnaissance for the Polish army, with delivery from 2027 to 2029.
The PLN7.6 billion contract includes a training and logistics package.
The contract will be implemented by a consortium composed of Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa SA (PGZ), HSW, and Rosomak SA, HSW said in a 27 December press release.
As part of the expansion and modernisation of its army, Poland is procuring at least 654 artillery systems from South Korea.
The K9PL is initially being produced in South Korea before switching to Poland in 2026.
Krabs
In another deal, HSW was contracted for 96 Krab SPHs, scheduled for delivery between 2027 and 2029.
As well as the Krabs, the PLN8.9 billion contract includes dozens of command and staff vehicles, ammunition vehicles, armament and electronics repair workshops, training, and logistics.
While some of the Krabs will be supplied with the REGINA fire-control module in the same configuration as one agreed under a 2022 contract, others will undergo significant modification with the debut of a version with full-automatic loading, HSW said.
Since 2016 HSW has been supplying Krabs and accompanying equipment to the Polish Armed Forces under contracts concluded in 2016 and in 2022 for a total of over 170 of the SPHs.
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