A K9 SPH undergoing trials in Finland in 2016. Finland is buying five more K9s, in addition to the 48 it ordered in 2017. (Janes/Peter Felstead)
Finnish Defence Minister Antti Kaikkonen has approved the Finnish Defence Forces' request to procure five more K9 155 mm self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) in 2022, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on its website on 21 October. The EUR30 million (nearly USD35 million) contract includes spare parts and supplies.
The Finnish MoD said the SPHs had good off- and on-road mobility and would replace artillery that will become obsolete in the 2020s and 2030s and will be decommissioned. It added that the K9 is well-suited for conscripts, providing Finland's conscript army with modern, cost-effective capabilities.
Finland purchased 48 former South Korean Army K9s in 2017. The EUR146 million contract included training, spares, and maintenance, with an option to procure additional K9s. Before exercising the option for five more K9s, deliveries of the 48 originally ordered was scheduled to be completed by 2024, when their full operational capability was planned.
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