Egypt is seeking to acquire K9 self-propelled howitzers and supporting vehicles from South Korea’s Hanwha Defence
South Korean news agency Yonhap announced on 30 November that the country is negotiating the export of K9 Thunder howitzers with Egypt at the EDEX 2021 exhibition in Cairo
“An upgraded version of the classic 155 mm/52-calibre K9 SPH, the K9A1 on display is at the center of attention during the arms exposition, as the Egyptian military is considering acquiring a package of K9 SPHs and other supporting vehicles,” Hanwha Defence said.
The negotiation also includes the purchase of K10 ammunition resupply vehicles in a package deal with technology transfer for local production of the artillery system, as well as K11 fire control vehicles and technology transfer to enable local K9 production.
If the sale goes through, it would mark the first export of the K9 howitzer to the Middle East and Africa (MENA) region.
The K9 self-propelled howitzer will most likely replace the 170 M109A5s in Egypt’s inventory.
K9 and French Caesar self-propelled howitzers underwent trials in Egypt in mid-2017.
The 46.3-tonne K9 is designed to provide an armoured force with the indirect fire required to defeat conventionally equipped opponents. Fitted with a 360 degrees rotating turret, the range of the system using standard ammunition is 18 km, but this can be extended to 30 km through rocket assisted projectiles, or to 40.6 km using advanced base-bleed ammunition, and a top speed of 67 km/h.
The K9 family includes upgraded variants, such as the K9A1, and support vehicles such as the K10 armoured ammunition resupply vehicle (AARV).
Other artilleries in Egypt’s inventory include M109 tracked self-propelled howitzers, SP1H-22 tracked self-propelled howitzers, towed M-46 howitzers, M270 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, BM-11 multiple rocket launchers, and ATS-59G tracked artillery tractors.