On Tuesday, December 6, Poland received the first South Korean-made K2 tanks and the first K9 howitzers, delivered as part of a huge order from Warsaw to Seoul. Poland, a member of NATO and the European Union, a neighbor of Ukraine, but also of Russia’s Kaliningrad enclave, has significantly accelerated the purchase of weapons.
This equipmentare necessary to prevent aggressionpossibly, Polish President Andrzej Duda said at a ceremony in the northern Polish port of Gdynia, where the first tanks and howitzers arrived by ship.
Delivery of 180 tanks between 2022 and 2025
In July, Poland signed a framework agreement with K2 tank maker Hyundai Rotem for a total of 1,000 vehicles, including the K9PL version jointly produced with the participation of Polish companies. The first binding deal received, worth $3.37 billion, is for the supply of 180 tanks between 2022 and 2025.
Another framework agreement, which Poland signed with the South Korean company Hanwha Defense, provides for the supply of 672 K9A1 self-propelled howitzers, including their jointly produced K9PL version. The binding agreement is for 212 howitzers of the K9A1 variant to be delivered between 2022 and 2026 at a cost of $2.4 billion.
Poland also signed a contract for 50 South Korean FA-50 fighter jets for $2.3 billion, and 288 K239 Chunmoo multiple missile systems. The first shipment of 18 of these rocket launchers, which will be mounted on the Polish Jelcz chassis, as well as their ammunition, will arrive in Poland in 2023. As part of this purchase, several orders will be made to Polish companies, including command, technical support, ammunition transport and technical evacuation vehicles.
According to the Polish Ministry of Defense, the purchase of South Korean systems does not affect the Polish order of similar American HIMARS systems, which are to be delivered to Poland from 2023. According to the specialized Defense News portal, the contracts together make Poland the most important buyer of South Korean weapons in Europe.
Source: Le Figaro
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