South Korea is gradually breaking into the world's arms export market
and Korea's K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzer is becoming the country's main export weapon
According to DefenseNews, Hanwha Defense recently signed the largest deal to export K9 self-propelled howitzers and other support vehicles to Egypt
Details of the deal were not disclosed, but at a value of about $1.7 billion
the Egyptian Army will receive around 200 K9 artillery systems along with K10 ammunition supply vehicles
Under the agreement, the initial batch will be delivered by Hanwha Defense, with subsequent systems expected to be manufactured in Egypt
Egypt has long been interested in modernizing its artillery systems
but efforts have been delayed for nearly a decade as the country experienced instability during the Arab Spring
In April 2017, it was reported that Hanwha Techwin was in talks with Egypt to export the K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzer
The efforts later paid off with a major arms deal, including the production of K9s in Egypt and a technology transfer
according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA)
“The latest deal is the first export of the K9 Self-Propelled Howitzer to Africa following the artillery’s successful exports to European and Asia-Pacific nations,” DAPA said
“This is the largest K9 deal in scale, making Egypt the eighth country to operate the K9.”
The K9 accounts for nearly 50 percent of the global self-propelled howitzer market, as it is in service with seven countries
South Korea, Turkey, Poland, India, Finland, Norway and Estonia
Australia recently signed a deal for the K9 under its Project LAND 8116 Phase 1
The tracked artillery system meets NATO standards and can be deployed in a large range of environments, including snowy terrain and deserts
Equipped with a 360-degree rotating turret, the 47-ton weapon has a firing range of 40 kilometers and moves as fast as 67 kph
Fitted with an automatic fire control system, the howitzer can fire within 30 seconds from a stationary position and within 60 seconds while on the move
with a burst rate of fire from six to eight rounds per minute
Egypt’s land forces currently operate versions A2, A3 and A5 of the American-made M109 howitzer