S. Korean K-9 Thunder Strikes Finland Twice

FINLAND has awarded South Korea a deal for an additional 112 units of the 155mm K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzers (SPH) valued around US$634 million. Under the agreement for the 112 units of K-9 SPHs from South Korean defence giant Hanwha Aerospace, it builds on an initial batch of 96 K9 SPHs Finland bought in 2017.

According to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), the South Korean government represented by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) inked the deal with Finland’s defence ministry in Helsinki on April 9.

The latest deal bolsters the reputation of South Korean defence exports at a time where the nation is looking to climb to the top of defence exporters globally. The K9 has been a consistently strong export for South Korea with 10 countries operating the platform, 6 of which being NATO member states. A South Korean official said Finland’s decision to purchase additional K9s after operating the system for eight years demonstrates the weapon’s reliability and performance under extreme weather conditions with more than 1,300 units sold worldwide since its debut in 1999.

“This procurement enhances the capability of the Finnish artillery cost-effectively. The acquisition is a part of the decade-long modernization of the Finnish Army as stated in the Government Defence Report. At the same time, this is a strong expression of the close co-operation of the respective defence administrations of Finland and the Republic of Korea”, Finland’s defence minister Antti Hakkanen said.

A Finnish government release stated, “The procurement will further enhance the Army’s firepower and its ability to support operational forces with long-range artillery systems that have good off-road and road mobility. The acquisition will partially replace aging towed artillery equipment. The self-propelled howitzers will undergo national modifications in Finland before entering service. The K9 system’s maintenance and sustainment capability has already been established domestically in Finland with earlier acquisitions.”–-shp/adj/dl (Pix:MAAVOIMAT, FINNISH GOVT)