Egyptian Navy to get K9 howitzers

The Egyptian Navy will receive 155 mm K9 tracked self-propelled howitzers in addition to its ground forces, manufacturer Hanwha Defense announced on 7 February.

Providing more detail of the deal announced a week earlier, the company said it would “supply the K9 self-propelled howitzer, the K10 ammunition carrier, and the K11 (tentative name) fire command vehicle to the Egyptian army and navy, and support local production”.

Noting this is the first time the K9 has been ordered for a navy, Hanwha Defense said the Egyptians would use it for coastal defence to “perform access denial missions against enemy ships”. The howitzer has a range of 40 km with base-bleed ammunition.

Hanwha Defense said it would produce an initial batch of equipment and deliver it to Egypt by the second half of 2024, with the remainder being produced in Egypt through technology transfer. It did not say how many howitzers will be delivered, but noted the KRW2 trillion (USD1.65 billion) deal includes training, logistical support, and depot maintenance.

It described the K11 that will be developed for Egypt as a version of the K10 automatic ammunition resupply vehicle equipped with various reconnaissance and communications equipment.