European nations, many of which are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
are increasing their military budgets amid the protracted war between Russia and Ukraine
Like other members of Europe, the Romanian government is interested in Korea's best-selling self-propelled gun in the world, the K9 Thunder
In early February 2023, Hanwha Aerospace signed a memorandum of understanding with Romania's state defense company
to supply K9 self-propelled howitzers and Redback infantry fighting vehicles, according to a Romanian government announcement
The size and duration of the preliminary agreement were not disclosed
Besides the K9 howitzers, Romania is also interested in K239 Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers and K21 infantry fighting vehicles
Government officials from Romania visited Korea three times over the last five months to explore potential partnerships
touring a main production site of Hanwha Aerospace in Changwon
Hanwha has successfully exported the K9 self-propelled howitzer to other NATO members such as Norway, Finland and Estonia
The K9 Thunder was developed in the late 1980s to replace the M109A2K, also known as the K55, to meet 21st century requirements
This artillery system entered service in 1999. K9 Thunder has a weight of 47 tons, a length of 12 m, a width of 3.4 m, a height of 2.73 m
A standard crew includes 5 men: Commander, Driver, Gunner, and 2 Loaders
The main armament is CN98 155 mm 52 calibre artillery gun manufactured by Kia Heavy Industry
Maximum range of fire is 30 km with standard HE projectile and 40 km with rocket-assisted projectile
The K9 Thunder is resupplied form the K10 ammunition resupply vehicle, which is based on the K9 chassis
The reloading process is fully automated and can be performed without exposing the crew under enemy fire or in the contaminated areas
Assisted by semi-automatic feeding system and fire control system, the vehicle can achieve the maximum rate of fire from burst of 3 rounds in 15 seconds
with a choice to land shells in multiple rounds simultaneous impact mode
followed by 6 to 8 rounds/min for the first 3 minutes, then 2 to 3 rounds/min for sustain fire
The vehicle can shoot-and-scoot by ready to fire in 30 seconds when stationary or 1 minute during move
then relocated to different position in 30 seconds to increase survivability from enemy counter battery attacks
If the memorandum of understanding progresses into future exports
the K9 self-propelled howitzer could build a reputation as a proven provider of weapons as it is deployed in 10 countries around the world
Currently, the combat vehicles of the Romanian ground forces are mainly of Soviet origin
And the Ukraine war is the impetus for European countries to increase their strength to deal with potential conflicts.