Polish Deputy Prime Minister and National Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak signed an agreement on Wednesday on South Korean weapons for the Polish army: these are FA-50 light fighters, K2 tanks and K9 self-propelled howitzers.
It was reported by the PAP news agency.
Orders for K2 tanks are divided into two stages. In the first stage Poland will buy 180 vehicles - deliveries will start this year, in the second - more than 800 tanks of the K2PL standard and start production in Poland in 2026. The tanks supplied at the first stage will also be upgraded to the K2PL standard.
The purchase of the K9 self-propelled howitzers was also divided into stages. The first involves the purchase of 48 howitzers, some of which will be delivered to Poland this year to make up for the shortage of equipment transferred to Ukraine. Deliveries of more than 600 howitzers should start in 2024, with guns to be produced in Poland starting in 2026.
The K9 will initially be equipped with Polish communications systems, and they will also be connected to the integrated Topaz combat control system.
Poland will also purchase 48 FA-50 light fighters from South Korea, the first 12 of which are to be delivered to Poland in mid-2023. The aircraft will be configured in accordance with Polish Air Force requirements and equipped with NATO Friendly-Foe Recognition System (NATO IFF).
According to Lieutenant Colonel Krzysztof Platek, a representative of the Arms Agency, the choice of this aircraft was due to "primarily its affordability and the fact that it can quickly replace outdated post-Soviet equipment - Su-22 and MiG-29," and in the final configuration with guided missiles and new radar will complement the F-16 fighters.
The FA-50 is a multipurpose aircraft that can be used for advanced training and as a combat vehicle, armed with guided and unguided bombs, air-to-air missiles and cannon. It was developed by Korea Aerospace Industries in collaboration with Lockheed Martin, maker of the F-16 and F-35.
The K2 Black Panther is a main battle tank manufactured by Huyndai Rotem and has been in service with the Korean army since 2014. It is armed with a 120 mm smoothbore gun with automatic charging and a 12.7 mm machine gun, equipped with self-defense systems capable, among other things, of destroying or "blinding" shells fired at it. The crew consists of three men. The tank is equipped with a diesel engine, it can overcome water obstacles to a height of 4.1 m and weighs 55 tons.
The K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzer manufactured by Hanhwa Defense is armed with a 155-mm gun with a range of 40 km. This machine comes from the chassis of the Polish Krab howitzer manufactured by Huta Stanowa Wola.
